


It takes two

by SilentRain91



Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst and Feels, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/F, GP!Kara, Idiots in Love, Kid Fic, Lena Luthor Knows Kara Danvers Is Supergirl, Slow Burn, slow burn aka slow suffering, super kids
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-01
Updated: 2018-03-01
Packaged: 2019-02-08 22:52:54
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 26
Words: 52,247
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12874764
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SilentRain91/pseuds/SilentRain91
Summary: When Kara opened the door she’d expected pizza, instead there was an eight year old on her doorstep who claimed to be her daughter. It didn’t make sense because she could have sworn to Rao she didn’t have any children.





	1. Chapter 1

Kara exhaled when her doorbell rang. It was about time the pizzas she ordered would arrive. With money in one hand, she swung her door open with the other. Today had been a good day. Birds were chirping, in her mind at least, she’d had a busy day as Supergirl stopping crime and she was about to devour six pizzas.

“Keep the cha-”

That was not a pizza delivery guy or girl standing on her doorstep.

It was a girl with long blonde locks and familiar green eyes she couldn’t quite place. She’d seen those eyes before, but then again, she’d seen so many eyes in her life on a daily basis.

“Hey, sweetie,” Kara said to the girl, adapting one of her smiles which was reserved particularly for children and puppies. She glanced at the backpack the girl had with her. “Are you a girl scout? I’ve been wondering when one of you would try to sell me cookies because I’ll definitely have at least one box of each.”

“Hi,” the girl replied, matching Kara’s smile with a similar one. “I’m not a girl scout.”

“Oh, my bad,” Kara said, frowning slightly. “Are you lost? Is there something I can help you with?” she asked as she began to peer outside. “Where are your parents?”

“I’m your daughter, Karalyn, but my mam always calls me Lyn,” the girl said, brushing past Kara.

Kara’s jaw dropped for what she was just told and for the fact the girl just entered her house without her having said she could. “Um… sweetie, Lyn?” she called out after the child who now seemed to help herself to some orange juice. “I don’t have a daughter, I don’t have any children,” she said, fairly certain she didn’t.

“Yes you do,” Lyn replied with a pout that might as well have been Kara looking at a younger reflection of herself with green eyes instead of blue eyes. “I’m your daughter.”

Kara pinched the bridge of her nose. This seriously couldn’t be happening. She groaned when her doorbell rang again, but her expression shifted when it was the pizza delivery guy this time. “Great, now you show up,” she muttered, handing the confused teenager the money. “Sorry, I just… it’s not you it’s me. I’m having a bit of a bad day and err… right, you didn’t come here to hear me vent, keep the change.”

Lyn stared at the floor as Kara went to put the pizzas onto her table. “I thought you’d be happy to see me,” she whispered, fumbling with the straps of her backpack.

Kara crouched down in front of the girl. “Listen, sweetie, I don’t know what you’ve been told, but I don’t have any children,” she said, grasping her hands to gently squeeze them. “I’m sorry. I’m not your mother.”

“You _are_ my mother.”

“If this is a prank or something, it’s not funny,” Kara replied, wondering if someone thought they could be a joker by letting a little girl do this. “You can’t tell random strangers they’re your mother.”

“You think I’m a liar,” Lyn whispered, lip quivering.

Kara shook her head. She wasn’t trying to accuse Lyn of lying, but she would accuse her parent of having lied to the poor girl if this was supposed to be serious. “You mentioned you have a mother earlier,” she recalled. “What’s your mother’s name?” she asked, needing to get Lyn home so she could enjoy her pizzas in peace.

“I have two mothers,” Lyn answered, smiling a little bit. “You and Lena Luthor,” she announced.

Hearing that name was like a cold shower or rather a shower of kryptonite. So that was why those eyes looked so familiar to her, of course. She used to sort of date Lena back in college, nine years ago when they were eighteen. “How old are you?” she asked, struggling to find her voice.

“I’m eight,” Lyn answered, smiling brighter. “You know my mam. I can see it in your eyes. Do you believe me now?”

Just because the timeline seemed fitting didn’t mean Kara had a daughter. If she had a child she’d have been told about it. “I’m sorry, sweetie, it’s just not possible,” she said, shoulders sagging. “I’ll take you home to your mother.”

She could simply drop Lyn off wherever Lena lived and watch her get inside from a distance. It would be too much for her to be eye to eye with Lena, too dreadful, even though she’d like to know why she’d given this girl the illusion she’d have been her mother. That was plain cruel towards Lyn and she wasn’t happy about the intrusion either.

“No!” Lyn shouted, taking a step back. “I ran away because I want to live with you,” she said, releasing an exasperated sigh. “I want to be a hero, just like you. If you train me I can be your sidekick, the best one you’ll ever have. We’ll stop crime together.”

On second thought, Kara would face Lena and ask her what she was thinking telling this girl she was Supergirl. She honestly believed Lena was smarter than that. She should have never let her know she was an alien, of course she had figured out she became Supergirl after college. It was stupid of her to think she could ever trust Lena.

“I’m your daughter,” Lyn said once again. “And I can prove it,” she said, puffing out her chest.

Kara gasped when the girl grabbed a knife from her kitchen. “Sweetie, please don’t hurt yourself,” she said, internally freaking out.

Lyn hovered a few inches above the floor and slid the knife over her palm, causing the blade to bend rather than it piercing her skin. “Do you believe me now?” she asked, lowering herself. “I can prove it more,” she offered, her eyes glowing red.

“Wait, wait,” Kara interrupted, holding her hands up before the girl would destroy her house. “How about you come with me, hop in my car and I’ll take you back to your mother, who must be worried sick by now, and then I’ll talk with her?”

Lyn put her hands on her hips, looking up at Kara with a pout.

Kara would definitely need to speak with Lena after everything she heard and saw. She wasn’t fully convinced yet, but that was mostly because up until today she’d never heard about her having a child. For all she knew Lyn could have been Kal-El’s daughter. It wasn’t as if Lena hadn’t broken her heart into a million pieces when she’d gotten particularly acquaintanced with her cousin.

Each memory of Lena made her shiver and wish she could curl in on herself and forget it all. After all those years she didn’t think she would ever have to deal with Lena Luthor ever again, would have to face her again. She’d always known Lena admired Kal-El, whom she’d got to know through Lex. The friendship between Kal-El and Lex hadn’t been news to her, but his closeness with Lena at the time was.

“How about we fly to your mother?” she offered, hoping that would do the trick to convince Lyn. She could have always lifted her up and put her in her car, but she didn’t want to risk having her kicking and screaming, making others think she was abducting a child.

“Yes!” Lyn all but squealed. “Can we fly around the world, mom? Please?”

Kara winced, feeling awkward about being called mom. “One thing at a time,” she answered carefully. It was a good thing it was dark out. She spun into her suit and grasped one of the pizzas to eat on the way.

“I told Elle I would find you,” Lyn said, beaming while she took one of Kara’s hands. “Now I’ll get to tell her I told you so.”

Kara had to refrain from jumping up at the sudden small hand in hers. “Who is Elle?” she asked as they shot up into the sky. She nudged the pizza box open with her nose.

“My twin sister, Noelle, but we always call her Elle.”

The pizza box fell down.

“You have a sister…,” Kara said, slowly trying to swallow the news down that she now apparently had not one but two daughters she never heard of before.

“Twin sister,” Lyn corrected, spinning around. “This is fun! Mam never lets me fly. She says it’s dangerous, but that’s just because she thinks I’ll fall, which is silly because I can’t fall, I float.”

At the time being Kara couldn’t even care a little bit about Lena possibly getting frustrated she was flying with Lyn. If anyone had the right to be frustrated it was her.

“Elle looks like me, but her eyes are blue like yours. We’re the same height and we like most of the same stuff. I was born first. Mam said I was born seven minutes before Elle. Blue is my favorite color in the whole world, but Elle likes yellow more. Mam said we would get a puppy if we would be good, but she said the same thing a year ago. Are you going to get us a puppy, mom?”

Kara’s head was spinning. She was hungry, had abandoned perfectly delicious pizzas and dropped the only one she’d taken with her. She was still trying to process everything Lyn had told her, pinching herself repeatedly, but it wasn’t a dream and during all of that her so called daughter or whoever the girl was supposed to be was rambling with the speed of light.

In the back of her mind a voice screamed _she’s yours_ , but that couldn’t have been true. Resemblances or not, Kara Danvers didn’t have a child, let alone two.  

 

 

* * *

 

 

Lena patted through her kitchen, rubbing her temples for the lingering headache she had after a particular exhausting meeting with her board. She was grateful her daughters had been silent rather than jumping up and down their beds. She’d lost count of how often she had heard things fall onto the floor with a loud thump in the past.

“Girls!” she called out as she walked up to the stairs. “Dinner is ready!”

In a split second, she saw Elle speed walking down the stairs, which had her shake her head, although it was an improvement compared to the times where she had stumbled down instead, giving her a mild heart attack. She knew her girls couldn’t get hurt that easily, but that didn’t make her worry any less.

“Food!” Elle cheered, dashing into the kitchen. “Mam, can I have ice cream after dinner? We still have some in the freezer.”

Lena glanced at the stairs with a frown. “Lyn?” she called out, waiting for her other daughter to come down. “Lyn, dinner is ready! I got you some of those potstickers you love so much!” she shouted, to no avail.

Elle moved her fork around her plate when Lena walked into the kitchen, doing everything to avoid her eyes.

Lena swallowed thickly. “Elle?” she asked gently. “Where is your sister?”

Elle bit her lip in response.

“Sweetheart, I need to know where your sister is,” Lena said, feeling her heart leap in her throat, which finally had Elle look at her. “Where is Lyn?”

“Lyn left,” Elle whispered under her breath.

“Speak up, sweetheart,” Lena replied, hoping she didn’t seriously hear Elle say Lyn left.

Elle sighed audibly. “Lyn left to go look for our other mother, she said she could find her,” she revealed, wringing her hands together. “I told her not to go, but she said it wasn’t fair you don’t let us use our powers. She wants to help people just like mom.”

Lena’s heart was beating so fast it was a miracle it wasn’t exploding. She had to find Lyn and bring her home. Her daughter was far too young to be outside all alone. Kara didn’t even live in Metropolis. Perhaps telling her girls about their other parent had been a mistake, but they were growing up and they had wanted answers because they knew she wasn’t like them.

“I hope you’re not mad, mam,” Elle said while she hopped off of her chair. “Lyn is back, I can hear her heartbeat. She’s standing at the door, but she’s not alone,” she said, a smile forming on her face. “Lyn found mom!” she cheered, running up to the door.

Lena had a dreadful feeling she wasn’t the one her daughters had to worry would be mad. Though she also knew Kara’s anger wouldn’t be directed at Lyn and Elle, but at her. She hadn’t seen Kara in person in nine years. They should have never been friends with benefits, not when feelings had gotten thrown in the mix and made everything complicated.

 


	2. Chapter 2

“Hi, I’m Elle. I’ve been dreaming about meeting you.”

Kara looked down at the little girl who had opened the door and who was hugging her. It was entirely unfair how happily Elle was smiling, staring at her with those blue eyes she recognized as her own.

“I told you I would find our mom,” Lyn said to Elle, positioning her hands on her hips.

“You should have dinner with us,” Elle said to Kara, breaking the hug to grasp her hand instead.

Kara’s heart constricted all over again, even more so when Lyn took the liberty of grasping her other hand. Her jaw tensed as she saw Lena, who stood idly aside. Nine years and Lena had hardly aged, although she had bags under her eyes. Raising two children must have been tough, but she wasn’t going to feel sorry for Lena, not after everything she had done.

“Potstickers!” Lyn shouted, licking her lips as she reached for them. She giggled when Kara’s stomach rumbled. “I don’t usually share my potstickers, but you can have some, mom.”

Kara winced again at being called mom and she caught Lena looking at her with hollow eyes. One of them had to speak first and of course Lena stood there like a frozen statue. She was angry and upset and sad and more, but she wasn’t going to lash out in front of the twins.

“Hello, Kara,” Lena said slowly, the words barely passing her lips, the weight of them heavy on her chest.

Kara inhaled sharply. It had been nine years since she’d heard Lena’s voice. Hearing her voice felt like her heart was being stabbed. “Lena,” she replied curtly, discarding her with one glance.

“I want mom to sit next to me,” Lyn said, beaming as she tugged at Kara’s hand.

“I want mom to sit next to me, too,” Elle said, tugging at Kara’s other hand.

“Splitsies?” Lyn asked Elle, smiling.

“Always,” Elle answered, smiling back at Lyn. “I love you.”

“I love you, too,” Lyn replied, sitting down.

Kara didn’t seem to have much of a say in the matter, being tugged and pulled a lot until she was sitting in between the twins. She dragged her eyes up, watching Lena’s hands linger on the chair in front of hers.

Lena nearly whimpered at Kara’s cold gaze. She had the feeling Kara was a ticking time bomb waiting to go off. After some hesitation, she chose a chair that wasn’t directly in front of Kara. “Lyn, what you did tonight was not okay,” she said, addressing her daughter. “You know you’re not supposed to go outside alone, especially at night and especially not without asking me first.”

“I know, mam, but if I had asked you then you would have said no,” Lyn replied, sighing. “I was being careful.”

“Something dangerous could have happened,” Lena replied with a slightly stern tone. “Never do that again.”

“It’s not fair you don’t let me use my powers,” Lyn huffed. “Mom let me fly and it was fun.”

Lena opened her mouth to say something to Kara, but the words died at the back of her throat when Kara narrowed her eyes at her. “No means no, Lyn, and that’s final,” she said, letting out a tired sigh.

“Do you like books?” Elle asked Kara, swinging her legs back and forth. “I love books and one of my favorites is Harry Potter. Mam bought the movies for me, but I like the books more than the movies. I always like books more. I can read really fast and I learned how to read when I was two. Mam said I’m really special.”

“I’ve read Harry Potter,” Kara said once Elle seemed done rambling. “And I’ve seen the movies many times with my sister.”

“You have a sister too??” Lyn asked, gasping. “Is she your twin? Does she have powers? Why hasn’t she been on the news with you?”

“You look prettier in person than you do on the news,” Elle said to Kara with a serious nod.

Lena couldn’t swallow a single bite. Her girls were so enthusiastic about Kara and she was afraid Kara wouldn’t be a constant presence in their life, but she was also afraid she’d lose her daughters.

“My sister is not my twin, I don’t have a twin,” Kara said to the girls. “She’s a year older than me and she’s human.”

“Oh,” Lyn whispered, frowning. “Is she boring like mam?”

Lena gasped. Boring? Was that how her daughters saw her?

Kara almost laughed at the sheer joy of Lyn’s childlike blunt honesty. “My sister is kind of like a ninja,” she confided carefully, smiling when the twins’ eyes lit up.

“Did you hear that, Lyn?” Elle asked, grinning. “Our aunt is cool.”

Kara accepted a few potstickers because she was still quite hungry despite everything. “I’m a Hufflepuff,” she said, licking her fingers clean. “They’re closest to the kitchen.”

Lyn giggled. “I’m a Gryffindor,” she announced, flexing her arms. “Elle is a Gryffindor, too.”

“We were floating around with brooms once to play, but mam didn’t like it,” Elle said to Kara.

“We just wanted to play Quidditch,” Lyn said.

“It’s not safe, girls,” Lena said simply.

“I doubt they can get splinters,” Kara said dryly to Lena.

“See, mom would let us have fun,” Lyn said to Lena.

“You should play with us,” Elle said to Kara, half squealing.

Lena’s fingers tightened around her fork. She didn’t like how Kara was defying her, in front of the girls no less. “Girls, once you’re done eating, I’m going to have your auntie Jess pick you up,” she announced, grabbing her phone to send Jess a text. “I need to have a word with Kara.”

“I don’t like auntie Jess,” Lyn said, pouting.

Elle nodded in agreement with Lyn. “She gives us granola bars instead of cookies and her house smells funny,” she said, scrunching up her nose.

“It’ll only be for a little while,” Lena assured her daughter as she sent of a text. “Remember what I said about being good.”

“Puppy!” Elle and Lyn shouted. “We’ll be good.”

 

 

* * *

 

 

“I named my – our oldest daughter Karalyn because I was thinking about you,” Lena confessed. She knew it may have come across as tacky, but there was a part of her that wanted to keep a reminder of Kara, although the girls were already a reminder simply by existing. “And I named our youngest daughter Noelle because they were born on Christmas.”

“Christmas,” Kara mused, processing the math in her mind. “I left nine years ago when May rolled around the corner, which means you must have been about a month pregnant at the time.”

“I didn’t know, honestly,” Lena replied, because when Kara left she thought her period was just being off, like it had been more than once in the past. It certainly wasn’t uncommon for her, so she hadn’t found out until later. “I only found out roughly two weeks after you left.”

“Two weeks,” Kara huffed, as if that was supposed to make a difference. “I don’t care if it was two months after I left. You didn’t tell me, you didn’t contact me to let me know. Don’t you think I had the right to know?”

Lena knew she deserved Kara’s anger. If the roles were reversed she would have been angry as well. “I was scared,” she whispered, even up until today struggling to admit that. “When I gave birth to them, I was only nineteen and before I knew what was happening, I had to run a company while taking care of two toddlers with powers.”

“All the more reason why you should have told me,” Kara replied, on the verge of snapping. “I’m not going to feel sorry for you for the hardships you’ve been through, not when you stole eight years! Eight years I’ll never have with them. You know what, who says they’re actually mine?”

Lena’s jaw dropped. Everything Kara had said she deserved, but that last comment was one she had not deserved. “I beg your pardon?” she asked, staring at Kara as if she was looking at a ghost.

“You were always good at begging, some things never change do they,” Kara mumbled under her breath, just loud enough for Lena to hear. Only this time Lena’s cheeks were red with anger instead of a blush. “Who says Elle and Lyn aren’t Clark’s children?” she asked, voicing the thought that hadn’t let her go.

“You can’t be serious,” Lena answered, voice so faint Kara would not have heard her if she didn’t have super hearing.

“Don’t play coy with me,” Kara said, balling her fists, though not with the purpose to fight. She wouldn’t fight Lena, not physically at least. “I know there was something going on between you two. You really think I’m an idiot, don’t you? I saw you two at that party nine years ago.”

“Oh my god, Kara, are you kidding me right now?” Lena asked, throwing her hands up. “Clark and I shared a few drunken kisses. Was that why you left so suddenly that year?”

Tears welled up in Kara’s eyes. “You broke my heart,” she said, feeling it break all over again.

“We were friends with benefits, we didn’t have any strings attached,” Lena recalled quite vividly. “I thought we both agreed that what we had didn’t mean...,” she said, her words faltering upon seeing Kara cry more. Even after all these years, seeing Kara upset shattered her heart and knowing that she was the cause was a sucker punch in her guts.

“Didn’t mean anything?” Kara filled in for Lena, wiping her tears away with the back of her hands. “Well it did to me. I loved you.”

Lena wanted to say she had loved Kara too, but she couldn’t. She had already inflicted too much damage and telling her how she too, loved her nine years ago wasn’t going to improve this situation. Nine years ago she used to believe friends with benefits was the closest she could get with Kara. She used to delude herself into thinking that one day they could have an actual relationship.

“Clark took you home that night,” Kara said, shuddering at the memory, how she heard him whisper it in Lena’s ear. The whole picture of that after she saw them kiss was enough for her to puzzle together they must have slept with each other.

“He took me home because I was drunk,” Lena explained, running a hand through her hair. After the tiring day she had this was the last thing she needed. “Nothing happened, he just made sure I got home safely and then he left.”

“The girls really are mine,” Kara whispered, letting that dawn on her. “You drank while you were pregnant!?” she shouted when she realized that, too.

“I didn’t know!” Lena shouted back, now crying as well. “Are you finished yelling at me now?”

“No, not even close,” Kara replied, pacing around, hating how her glasses kept fogging over from her tears. “I missed eight years of Lyn and Elle’s life. I missed their first steps, their first smiles, their first words, the first time they used their powers. I don’t even know how they felt when their powers kicked in. Were they afraid? Were they excited? Did they feel different than everyone else? Eight years, Lena. How would you feel if I would have kept them from you for eight years, hm?”

Lena swallowed hard as Kara’s words washed over her. “I’m sorry,” she croaked out. “I’m sorry, Kara.”

“An apology won’t fix this,” Kara said, almost scoffing at the weak attempt. “I can’t forgive you, I just can’t.”

“Kara,” Lena whispered, stretching out a hand, wanting to comfort, to do something, anything to somehow make this better. She remembered how Kara sought comfort through touch in the past.

“Don’t. Touch. Me,” Kara hissed under her breath, stepping away from Lena before she could reach her. “Don’t you dare touch me,” she repeated, lifting her index finger in the air while she cried. “I will never let you touch me ever again and don’t think for even a second I will ever touch you again either. The way I see it, you’ve been dead to me for nine years.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Enjoy the slow pain, err, burn. :)


	3. Chapter 3

_You’ve been dead to me for nine years._

Those words were ringing in Lena’s ears over and over. She poured a second glass of wine. Kara was gone now, but not for long because she would come back tomorrow to spend time with the girls. The only assurance she had Kara was not going to take Elle and Lyn without bringing them back was the fact she knew Kara wouldn’t do that to the girls.

“The girls seemed excited tonight,” Jess said. She brought her glass to her lips, sipping from the red liquid while she looked at Lena. “How did it go?”

Lena gulped her wine down.

“That terrible?” Jess asked, stopping Lena’s hand from reaching for the bottle of wine. “I think you’ve had enough wine, Miss Luthor.”

Lena pulled her hand back. She knew drinking was not going to make anything better. “She said I’m dead to her,” she whispered. Her hand shook as she put her empty glass down on her coffee table. “She was upset, to put it lightly. I understand she’s not happy she missed eight years with the girls. Each year I waited to tell her the truth, I only made it worse.”

“You never sent her those letters and those pictures, did you?”

Lena shook her head. All of the letters she wrote and the pictures she took were stored aside in a box. She never mailed any of them. There were times where she almost did, but as soon as she reached the postal office, she froze.

“I can’t even imagine how painful it must have been she was the third person to tell you that you’re dead to them,” Jess said, squeezing Lena’s hand lightly.

“As unpleasant as it was to hear my mother and my brother say those words in the past, hearing them from the one person I once held so dear to my heart hurt the most,” Lena whispered, feeling her heart ache while the earlier events of tonight replayed in her head. “I had no idea she felt for me as I felt for her. Perhaps we were both too oblivious to see what was right in front of us all along. Not that any of that would matter now.”

“I made a grief mistake and I can’t fix it,” Lena sighed. “I can’t turn back time to give her those eight years with the girls she never had.”

“You can’t do that, but what you can do is make the most out of it now. She didn’t have those first eight years, but she’s in their lives now and it would be a pity for you two to waste time bickering and fighting. Maybe you can arrange joined custody or something or you could even move to National City.”

“Move to National City?” Lena asked, eyebrows going up. “That would be a big step.”

“Yes, but it would be a step to show you’re willing to let her spend more time with the girls, to let her be closer to them. Maybe you’ll even find a house in her neighborhood.”

“She’ll resent me if I move somewhere near her. I think the last thing she wants is to see more of me.”

“Miss Luthor, this isn’t exactly about what she wants or what you want,” Jess replied, tapping her fingers against her glass. “This is about what’s best for the girls.”

Lena knew she would have to grant Kara time with the girls, but the idea of having to miss them for even a day felt unbearable. She never left their side for more than a few hours at once. Her daughters were all she had. Jess was kind and caring, and listened to her inane thoughts, but she was mostly paid to be around.

 

 

* * *

 

 

The sound of the door being unlocked awoke Kara, who spent the night at her sister’s apartment, waiting for her to come home. She was surprised as Alex finally walked in when the sun barely rose.

Alex jumped up when she heard a loud yawn. In less than three seconds, she had her gun in her hand. “Oh my god, Kara,” she gasped as she lowered her gun. “You startled me.”

“I’m sorry,” Kara replied with a mild cringe. “Where have you been all ni- you’re blushing,” she said, observing her sister’s red cheeks. “Oh Rao…did you…did you spend the night with Sam!?” she shouted, close to squealing.

Alex blushed some more. “Shh, not so loud, Kara,” she whispered. She bit down on her lip, her cheeks crimson.

“You did,” Kara said, a large smile gracing her lips. “What about Ruby?” she asked, frowning. “I thought you said Sam said it was too soon because you guys have only been dating for um… um…”

“Two months,” Alex supplied. “And why do you think I’m walking into my apartment at the crack of dawn? Ruby can’t know I spent the night,” she said, shredding her jacket off. “Wait… why are _you_ here at the crack of dawn?”

“You might need to sit down and grab a drink,” Kara suggested with a loud sigh. “I know I sure need it,” she added, although the alcohol her sister had wasn’t strong enough to affect her.

Alex frowned, wondering what happened to her sister who was bubbly yesterday when they ate potstickers for lunch, stopped crime and then ate pancakes together. “What happened?” she asked as she went to sit on her couch without a drink. It was roughly six in the morning, there was no way drinking was appropriate.

Kara fumbled with her glasses. “There was a little girl at my door last night, claiming to be my daughter,” she answered, facing her sister.

Alex’s eyes widened. “You’re serious?” she asked, not having expected to hear anything even remotely close to that.

“I wouldn’t make this stuff up,” Kara answered, sighing. “And as if that wasn’t enough, she proved it to me by using her powers and then when I went to take her home she said she has a twin sister, so it turns out I have two children instead of just the one. They’re eight years old, I never knew of their existence until last night. Oh and Lena Luthor is their other parent.”

“Oh my god…That sounds like a lot for you to process all at once.”

“Tell me about it. I didn’t even know she was pregnant, Rao, I didn’t even know I was capable of doing… _that_. Eight years and I didn’t know. They just kind of… waltzed into my life and now they’re calling me mom.”

“Lena should have never kept this from you,” Alex said, barely biting her anger back, for her sister’s sake. “Come, let’s go the DEO.”

“I don’t know about going there now, Alex,” Kara replied, sighing. “I’m going to go see the girls in two hours or so.”

“You can blow off some steam at the DEO, I think you need it,” Alex said as she put her jacket back on. “We can smash plates and you can punch bricks. I’d also like to um… run some tests.”

“Tests?” Kara asked while she gave her sister a puzzled look. “What kind of tests?”

Alex scratched the back of her neck. “You mentioned you didn’t know you were capable of getting someone pregnant, so I want to run some test to check your-”

“Okay, I got it, yup, no need for any further explanation. We can go now and you can run the tests and yeah, this is totally awkward isn’t it?”

“Not as awkward as you having caught me doing the walk of shame,” Alex mumbled under her breath. “Okay, not shame,” she reconsidered when Kara raised an eyebrow at her. “But you catch my drift.”

“Uhuh,” Kara replied, unable to stop smiling because her sister was still blushing. “Is Sam a top or a bottom?”

Alex shook her head while she walked out the door. She had no intention of sharing any details about her sex life because her sister knew more than enough as it was. “I have to ask… do you think it’s possible you made someone else pregnant?” she asked, recalling Kara was not particularly shy in that department.

Kara bit her lip while she thought about it. She always used condoms regardless of who she was having sex with, but with Lena there were times she hadn’t used one because they were each other’s first. “No,” she said after a beat of silence. “It’s not possible.”

 

 

* * *

 

 

Lena walked into her daughters’ bedroom to wake them up for breakfast. Once again, she didn’t find them sleeping in their beds, which happened about five out of seven days. Instead they were floating midway to the ceiling. The first time it happened they were two years old and when they awoke they fell, which nearly gave her a heart attack at the time, but at the last second they flew up again.

“Girls, breakfast is ready,” she said while she held her arms out underneath Elle, who had a knack of crashing down onto her bed from time to time when she was not quick enough to break her fall.

“Breakast!” Lyn and Elle cheered as their eyes snapped open.

Elle dropped and fell right into Lena’s arms. “Good morning, mam,” she said with a joyous smile.

Lyn giggled and flew over to Lyn. “You almost broke your bed again, silly.”

“But I didn’t because mam caught me,” Elle replied, wrapping her arms around Lena’s neck.

“Good morning, mam,” Lyn beamed.

“Good morning, my angels,” Lena said while she put Elle down. “Before you rush downstairs, get dressed first.”

Elle and Lyn used their super speed, knocking into each other as they did so. They groaned when they fell onto their backs.

Lena crossed her arms. “What did I just say?” she told them while she tapped her foot on the floor. She sighed and stretched her hands out to help them up to their feet.

“Technically you said not to rush downstairs,” Lyn said.

Elle nodded. “You didn’t say we couldn’t rush to get dressed,” she pitched in.

“Come here, you sneaky little munchkins,” Lena said, laughing as she wrapped her arms around her daughters. “Today is a big day for you two.”

“It’s okay, mam,” Lyn said while she hugged her. “We’re going to miss you, too.”

“It’s only for a few hours, mam,” Elle said, squeezing Lena’s hand gently. “Like when you go to work.”

“I know, girls, I know,” Lena whispered, although it wasn’t the same. “Put some nice clothes on and come down for breakfast, okay?”

Elle and Lyn whispered quietly, smiling sheepishly while Lena looked at them.

“01001001 00100000 01101100 01101111 01110110 01100101 00100000 01111001 01101111 01110101 00001010, mam,” Lyn and Elle said in sync.

Lena tried not to tear up, but her girls made her happy. “I love you, too,” she replied, blowing them an air kiss. “I’m going downstairs to eat those yummy pancakes I made.”

“Wait, we’re almost dressed,” Lyn said. She had one leg in her pants while she held three different t-shirts in her hands.

“I’m dressed and ready for my pancakes,” Elle said with a smile. “Slowpoke,” she whispered to Lyn, sticking her tongue out.

“Aw, sweetheart,” Lena whispered, combing her fingers through Elle’s hair. “You’re wearing your shirt backwards,” she smiled, thinking how sometimes her daughters were dorks, just like Kara.

“Your tried, little sis,” Lyn said to Elle, patting her shoulder. “No worries, I’ll save you some pancakes… in my stomach.”

“Not so fast, speedy Gonzales,” Lena said to Lyn, halting her before she could speed off. “You know the rule. We always eat breakfast together as a family.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry Sanvers.


	4. Chapter 4

“Hello, Kara, the girls are almost ready.”

“Lena,” Kara said curtly, barely acknowledging her presence and she only did so for the girls’ sake.

Lena tried not to look at Kara, but she couldn’t help it. Seeing her in person after all this time still felt surreal, like she would have to touch her to make sure she was real, which she didn’t.

The bags Kara had seen under Lena’s eyes last night were even worse. She had a feeling Lena hadn’t slept a wink. Despite everything, she didn’t hate Lena. She wasn’t pleased with her, but she didn’t hate her. Waiting for the girls to be ready felt like hours when it had only been seconds.

Lena kept opening her mouth to say something, anything, only to close it again and again as any courage she had seeped away.

“We’re ready,” Lyn said, brushing past Lena with Elle.

“Okay, off we go,” Kara said, smiling only at Elle and Lyn.

“Kara,” Lena said, almost recoiling at the glare she received. “How about you keep the girls with you until tomorrow, if that’s okay with you?”

“Can we, mom, can we?” Lyn asked, grasping Kara’s hand tightly. “Please.”

“Yes, mom, please,” Elle chimed in.

“Of course, sweeties,” Kara said to the girls. She heard Lena’s erratic heartbeat which had accompanied her unexpected suggestion. “This doesn’t change anything, Lena,” she said, to let that be clear.

Lena nodded mutely. It was all about what was in the best interest of Lyn and Elle.

“I’ll be right back, mom,” Lyn said before speeding back inside.

Lena lost her balance at the brush of wind, steadied by Elle, who smiled at her.

“Lyn and I can’t sleep without our stuffed animals,” Elle said to Kara. “Did you get mine, too?” she asked Lyn, who was already speeding back.

“Yup, right here in my backpack,” Lyn answered, pointing at her backpack. “Do we really have to take the bus?” she asked, glancing between Kara and Lena.

“I haven’t had the chance to fly with mom,” Elle mumbled, pouting.

“It’s daytime,” Lena said, anxiously fumbling with the keys from her door.

“Now wouldn’t be a good time,” Kara said to the girls, having to agree with Lena. “Flying at night is better.”

Lena sighed, watching her daughters look at her, burning to fly. “Alright,” she relented. “You can fly at night with Kara,” she said to Lyn and Elle. “But you have to promise me you’ll stay close to her.”

“We promise, mam,” Lyn replied, wrapping her arms around Lena’s legs. “I love you.”

Elle flew up to give Lena a better hug. “I love you, mam.”

“I love you too, girls,” Lena whispered, hugging her daughters. She hesitated as she looked at Kara, who wasn’t quite looking her in the eyes. “They sleep better after a story or a lullaby and they like to have a glass of milk and a cookie before bed.”

Kara nodded. “Come, girls, your aunt Alex is waiting to meet you both,” she said, holding her hands out.

“The cool ninja?” Lyn asked, clasping her hand in Kara’s.

“Will she teach us how to be a ninja, too?” Elle asked, smiling as she swung her arm with Kara’s. “I can kick my leg really high. Do you want to see how high I can kick it?”

“I can kick mine higher than Elle,” Lyn said, sticking her tongue out at her sister.

“Nu-uh,” Elle said, shaking her head at Lyn.

“Hmm, do you like to play hide and seek?” Kara asked, unsure what they felt too old for. “We could hide while Alex seeks. If we hide on top of a closet she won’t find us.”

“The top of a closet?” Lyn asked, smiling. “Does that mean we can use our powers, mom?”

“Why do you always wince when we call you mom?” Elle asked, batting her eyelashes at Kara. “Do you not want to be our mom?”

Kara had not stopped to think how many things the girls were picking up on, though if what she could pick up on was any hint, she should know they would pick up on a lot as well. “I do want to be your mother, it’s just all very new to me and like I’m dreaming,” she answered with a small smile. “Do you understand what I’m saying?”

“Yes,” Elle answered. “You are not used to anyone calling you mom.”

“Do you want us to call you something else?” Lyn asked Kara. “We could call you Super-”

“Mom is fine,” Kara rushed to say.

“Why are you wearing glasses?” Elle asked Kara. “You don’t wear glasses on tv.”

“My glasses and my ponytail are my disguise,” Kara answered, wanting to fidget with her glasses, but finding she had no free hand now that she was holding two small hands. “They hide that I’m Supergirl,” she whispered, frowning when her daughters giggled.

Lyn freed her hand, pretending to use her hands as glasses.

“Hey, who are you?” Elle asked Lyn, failing to stifle a giggle. “My turn, my turn,” she said, gathering her hair in her fist.

“Elle???” Lyn asked, peering around. “Where did you go?”

“Are you two making fun of my disguise?” Kara asked, gasping as her daughters laughed. “Oh Rao, just you two wait when the tickle monster visits you.”

Lyn placed her hands on her hips, mimicking Supergirl’s signature stance. “A hero does not surrender,” she said, attempting to make her voice sound stronger.

“Precisely,” Elle said, copying Lyn. “And there’s two of us, but only one of you,” she said to Kara.

Kara had a comeback on the tip of her tongue about them being partially Luthors, but she decided against using the Luthor name to tease them. She had no idea what she had gotten herself into, taking two little devils home with her. “Well… this hero wants a truce,” she said finally, after some thought.

“Wise decision, mom.”

 

 

* * *

 

 

Lena felt like she could not have sank any lower as she sat down in a bar in the middle of the day. She was not expected to make an appearance at her company today, considering she had taken the day off in advance to be with her girls, who were now with Kara. The scotch stung a little as she swallowed it down as if it were water.

Nine years ago she wanted to tell Kara how she felt about her, but she feared risking severing the ties between them, feared her feelings would not be requited. Then one day, Kara simply up and left without an explanation, without a goodbye. She never forgot the day she walked into Kara’s dorm room only to find it empty.

The most painful goodbyes were always those which were left unspoken. She recalled how she asked others if they saw Kara leave, if she said anything to them as to why she left. Veronica told her she saw Kara leave in a hurry at the crack of dawn. It confused her why Kara was gone when she thought they had fun the night before, partying and placing bets.

She ordered another drink. All this time she was left unaware Kara saw her kiss Clark, until Kara brought it up last night. Her kiss with Clark didn’t mean anything to either one of them. It was a dumb dare anyway from a random student who thought spinning the bottle was a fun game. If she had known that was what drove Kara away she would not have played.

Her girls thought she failed to find Kara after she lost touch with her nine years ago, which must have pushed them to find Kara themselves. The truth was she was scared to contact Kara whom she thought wanted nothing to do with her anymore. She was scared to drag Kara in her daughters’ lives and give them hope with the risk Kara would leave without saying goodbye again.

“That bad huh?”

Lena peered at the woman who addressed her. Alabaster skin, white hair and blackened eyes were staring at her. “Livewire,” she said, recognizing the villain from the news as Supergirl’s arch nemesis. It was strange seeing her in a bar in Metropolis.

“Two more where that came from,” Livewire said to the bartender, gesturing at Lena’s glass. “You can relax, I’m not here to kill anyone,” she added while she slapped money down on the bar.

Lena narrowed her eyes. “Why are you buying me a drink?” she asked, uncertain what Livewire wanted from her.

“You look like you need it,” Livewire answered as she slid down on the barstool next to Lena.

“I’m capable of buying my own drinks,” Lena replied, never truly been okay with letting others pay what she so easily could pay herself.

“I know,” Livewire said as her fingers rapped on the woodwork of the bar. “I know exactly who you are.”

Lena clasped her purse open when those dark hollow eyes bore into hers. “Then you know I’m always armed,” she said, considering she was a Luthor after all. It would not surprise her if someone wanted Livewire to kill her, although it would surprise her Livewire would take orders from anyone.

“You’re too tense,” Livewire said, pushing a glass towards Lena. “I’m not here to fight you. Chill out, Luthor,” she muttered, wrapping her fingers around her glass.

“If you’re not here to fight me, then what do you want? I know everyone always wants something. I highly doubt these pleasantries are out of the kindness of your heart.”

Livewire grinned and signaled the bartender for more drinks.

“These are on the house,” the bartender said, looking between Livewire and Lena when she gave them two more glasses. “I don’t want any trouble.”

Livewire held her palm out and made electricity appear. “Are you insinuating something?” she asked, smirking when the bartender backed away. “I thought so.”

Seven drinks later, Lena’s tongue had loosened up. “Years ago I was seeing a girl and I was so in love with her it hurt, right here,” she said as she pressed her fingers against her chest. “We were friends with benefits and let me tell you, the sex we had was phenomenal, but I wanted a relationship with her. Then one day, poof, she was gone,” she said, hiccupping.

She swayed her glass in her hand and emptied it. “She was gone and then my heart was gone too, snipped into pieces, incinerated even,” she said as she choked out a sob. “And now she’s back and she tells me I’m dead to her and I’m sitting in a bar pouring my heart out to a villain,” she laughed.

“Jesus, that chick did quite a number on you, you’re a fucking mess,” Livewire scoffed.

Lena frowned when Livewire grabbed her arm. She groaned while she was dragged out of the bar. The villain didn’t let go of her until they reached an old building with broken windows near the docks. She stooped low if she let herself get abducted so easily, although the alcohol was catching up on her and made her sway on her feet.

The room was spinning in front of her eyes and so was Livewire. She heard the villain speak, but the words were blurry and incoherent in her ears as she slowly succumbed to darkness.

 


	5. Chapter 5

Alex’s mouth was agape at the sight of the twins. They were tiny copies of her sister, aside from the fact that Lyn’s eyes were green instead of blue. She shook her head at the thought Kara even accused Lena of the twins possible being Kal-El’s and for that she kind of wanted to smack her upside the head.

“You’re the ninja!” Lyn shouted, a wide smile splitting open.

Alex crouched down in front of the smiling sunshine. “Ninja?” she asked, chuckling.

“Mom said you’re a ninja,” Elle said, nodding heavily.

“You’re our first real aunt,” Lyn said, throwing her arms around Alex’s neck.

Alex braced herself to be crushed, but Lyn’s hug was gentle. Of course, they were raised by Lena who was human just like her.

Elle smiled and hugged Alex as well.

“Oh my, you two are quite affectionate,” Alex said, glancing up at Kara. The girls reminded her of her sister when she was younger. On the first day Kara became her sister, she was enveloped in a crushing hug.

Kara hadn’t anticipated being a mother at age twenty-seven, but she knew she couldn’t miss Elle and Lyn now that she knew them.

“Your place is smaller than mom’s,” Lyn said to Alex while she looked around.

“I didn’t need more space than this,” Alex replied, nodding. “My apartment is big enough for myself.”

Kara knew how unlike her, Alex hadn’t bought a house yet. Her sister wanted to wait a while longer and save more money and she always said a house would be too big to maintain anyway. She knew Alex was waiting until she would have a special someone, which could be Samantha.

“You look a bit older than mom,” Elle noted while she stared at Alex. “Do you have children?”

Kara wanted to reach out and hug her sister. She knew that question must have torn old wounds.

“No, not yet,” Alex answered weakly. She tried not to think about Maggie, but the fallout they had was difficult to forget. They were happy together, until she brought up children and Maggie flat-out stated she never wanted any. That, combined with their busy work schedules was what broke them up.

“There’s someone at the door,” Lyn said, right before a knock sounded.

“I’ll get it,” Kara said as she walked over to the door. “Hi, Sam,” she said, smiling at the woman.

“Hi, Kara,” Samantha replied, smiling back.

“Oh… come in,” Kara said, stepping out of the way.

“Alex forgot something,” Samantha said, raising a plastic bag. “So I figured to bring it back.”

Alex blushed furiously because she did forget something at Samantha’s place, namely her bra.

Samantha frowned when she saw twin girls. “Either you have two little sisters,” she said before looking at Kara. “Or you have daughters.”

“They’re my daughters,” Kara said, clearing her throat. “Karalyn and Noelle, but they go by Lyn and Elle.”

“Hi,” Elle said with a little wave.

“Thank you,” Alex whispered to Samantha as she took the plastic bag from her.

“You left before I woke up this morning,” Samantha whispered in Alex’s ear.

“I’m sorry about that,” Alex replied awkwardly, blushing even more at the three pairs of ears which heard everything. “I just figured… you know, with Ruby.”

Samantha gazed into Alex’s eyes. Her eyes dipped down to her lips.

Alex breathed out when Samantha kissed her cheek.

“I was going to make you breakfast,” Samantha whispered, brushing a lock of Alex’s hair behind her ear.

“Are you two a couple?” Lyn asked Alex and Samantha. “You can kiss, we don’t mind. My sister and I don’t think kissing is gross. Some kids think it’s gross, but it’s not gross at all and mam says love is beautiful. Are you married?”

“Who is Ruby?” Elle asked. “Are you in a polyamorous relationship?”

Kara’s eyes widened and she wished she had a remote with a mute button to silence her daughters, who were now giving away they heard everything.

Samantha slowly turned around to face the girls. “Alex is my girlfriend,” she said with a sweet smile. “And Ruby is my daughter.”

“If you’re Alex’s girlfriend, then you’re our auntie, too,” Lyn said to Samantha. “Am I right, mom?”

“Um… err,” Kara answered, fumbling with her glasses.

“How old is your daughter?” Elle asked Samantha. “Can we play with her? Where is she? What’s her favorite color? Which house is she in?”

“Does she like puppies?” Lyn asked.

“Girls, slow down,” Kara said, chuckling. “I’m sorry,” she said to Samantha. “My daughters are excited.”

Alex gripped Samantha’s hand, squeezing. “I’ll explain later,” she promised in a whisper.

“You two have a lot of energy,” Samantha said to the twins. “Ruby is ten. You can play with her, but right now she’s at a friend’s place. Her favorite color is purple and she does like puppies. Did I get all of them?”

Elle shook her head. “You didn’t answer which house she’s in,” she said.

“We’re in Gryffindor,” Lyn announced with a proud smile.

Samantha laughed lightly. “Your memory is impressive,” she appraised. “Ruby is in Gryffindor, just like you two.”

“She can be my best friend,” Lyn said.

“But… I’m your best friend,” Elle said to Lyn, pouting.

“Second best friend,” Lyn corrected.

“They’re so cute,” Alex whispered to her sister as the twins hugged. “It’s sweet to see them getting along so well.”

Kara nodded, relieved they did.

“Which houses are you in?” Elle asked, looking at Alex and Samantha.

“I’m in Gryffindor, too,” Alex answered.

“I take it I’m the only Slytherin,” Samantha said, chuckling when Alex stared at her. She leaned closer to Alex and brought her mouth close to her ear. “Does that surprise you after last-”

Alex cut Samantha off with a chaste kiss to her lips. Her girlfriend was whispering, but she didn’t need the twins and her sister hearing certain things. In fact, nobody aside from Samantha and her needed to know what a hopeless bottom she was and what a power top her girlfriend was. It wasn’t as if she hadn’t tried being a top, but Samantha proved being particularly dominant.

Kara shook her head, having heard too much to know what Samantha was hinting at.

 

 

* * *

 

 

Lena woke up with a start. She felt cold fingers brush against her neck and saw Livewire loom over her. For a moment she thought the villain planned on choking her, but then those fingers moved away, leaving a blanket on top of her.

“What were you doing?” she asked, although it appeared as if Livewire was tucking her in.

Livewire shrugged. “You looked cold, I saw you shiver,” she answered, plopping down on a chair.

Lena took a moment to drink in her surroundings. She was still in the building Livewire had dragged her to and she was lying down on a mattress, which meant she had been moved. There were no shackles or anything around her ankles or wrists, though that didn’t mean she wasn’t a prisoner. It wasn’t as if the villain needed anything to restrain her when one crack of electricity was enough to bring her to her knees. Through the broken windows she saw the sky had darkened. She wondered how long she was out.

Her head didn’t appreciate the amount of alcohol she consumed, which in hindsight was a mistake. She should have never drunk so much it literally caused her to black out. The last time that happened was during her younger years when she was reckless. She remembered the times she used to drink with Alex, Kara’s older sister, whom was equally reckless.

Up until nine years ago, she was friends with Alex, even. Though once Kara was gone so was Alex along with her and just like that their friendship was gone, too. By now she worried both Danvers sisters hated her, which she deserved. She deserved everything that came her way. If Livewire abducted her she was going to have an awkward rendezvous with Superman, given Metropolis was his territory.

Livewire threw a bottle of water in front of Lena’s feet without saying anything.

Lena chanced a glance at the bottle, but didn’t reach for it. “Where did you take me?”

“This is where I come when I need to think,” Livewire answered, rocking the chair on its legs, nearly tipping it over.

Lena wanted to comment Livewire would fall if she kept doing that, but she decided against it. What the villain did wasn’t her business and if she fell so be it. “Okay,” she said with a slight frown. “Why did you take me here?”

Livewire held her hand out in front of her, inspecting her nails. “Cuz I was leaving the bar,” she answered without looking at Lena.

Lena sat up, hesitantly grasping the bottle because her mouth felt dryer than the Sahara. “That doesn’t explain why I’m here,” she replied, demanding a proper answer.

Livewire met Lena’s eyes. “You were drunk,” she pointed out.

Lena combed her hair back with her hand. “I want an actual answer,” she said while she stood up. “You telling me you were leaving and that I was drunk isn’t an answer, it doesn’t explain why you brought me here.”

“Whatever,” Livewire mumbled.

“Don’t whatever me!” Lena snapped. She sighed as she let her shoulders drop, realizing she was mostly angry at herself rather than at Livewire. She stalked up to the villain and leaned down, bringing her face closer to hers, not afraid of what she might do. “For the last time, why am I here? What do you want from me?”

Livewire grinned and stood up, grinning more when Lena took a step back, stopping when they stood toe to toe. “Would it kill you for someone not to want something from you?”

“Don’t avoid my question,” Lena said, standing her ground. She dealt with bigger demons, Livewire didn’t scare her.

“Leaving a drunken woman alone in a bar wouldn’t have been the greatest choice, so I dragged you out of there with me and took you here so you can sleep it off or whatever you need to do. There were some people at the bar who would have cornered you if you’d have gone outside alone. Not everyone appreciates a Luthor and I might have overheard some shady stuff.”

Lena’s lips parted slightly while Livewire’s words sank in. “Wait…,” she whispered, frowning. “You’re saying you dragged me out of the bar and brought me here to protect me? Because that is what it sounds like and if that’s true, then why? Why would you do that for me? What do you want?”

Livewire chuckled dryly and patted Lena’s cheek, a little too roughly. “I want nothing from you,” she answered, retrieving her hand.

“I don’t understand,” Lena whispered, breaking her head over it. “Why would you protect me when you’re… you,” she said, making a noncommittal motion with her hand.

“I thought you were supposed to be the genius of your family,” Livewire muttered. “Is it so hard to believe I’m more than just Livewire? We’re more alike than you think, Luthor.”

“You and I are nothing alike,” Lena replied, appalled. “I shouldn’t be here.”

“Then leave, I don’t care,” Livewire said. She shrugged and pointed at the exit.

Lena clicked her tongue in her mouth. “You care,” she whispered, puzzled. “I don’t know why, but you care.”

“Like hell I do,” Livewire grumbled, lashing out with electricity, making it snap close to Lena’s feet.

“If you didn’t care you wouldn’t have brought me here in the first place,” Lena said, crossing her arms over her chest. “Were you at the bar because you’re lonely, too?”

Livewire laughed. “Do you always carry your feelings on your sleeve like that or is it just the alcohol talking?”

“I don’t know. It’s easy somehow to talk to you, despite your rough unwelcome exterior,” Lena said, trying to make sense of it as she shifted from one foot onto the other. “I’m about to grab a bite to eat, would you like to join me?”

 


	6. Chapter 6

Kara chuckled at the sight of her daughters in their temporary suits. Not that she planned on getting them actual suits, considering they were far too young to do what she did as Supergirl. Her girls had insisted on having suits, so as a compromise she took them to a costume shop and let them select something there.

Lyn was clad in a blue cheerleader costume, save from the pompoms. She had to have it because it was blue and blue was her favorite color in the whole wide world. It also had glitter on it, which made Lyn love it even more.

Elle was wearing a yellow and black striped bumblebee dress with matching leggings. _We have to save the bees, mom._ She had gone into a long ramble at the costume shop about why bees were important and how yellow was a beautiful color.

“Say cheese,” Kara said, camera in hand.

Lyn and Elle huddled close, throwing their arms over each other’s shoulders. “Cheese!” they shouted.

Kara snapped a few pictures. Once they were developed she would give Lena copies. She smiled bitterly, wishing she had pictures of the girls from when they were younger, though if she asked sometime then perhaps Lena would provide her some.

“We’re ready, mom,” Lyn said, placing one hand on her hip and pumping the other in the air. “Let’s fly, up, up and away.”

“Okay, girls,” Kara said, putting her camera aside. “Do you remember the rules I explained?”

“Yes, mom,” Elle answered, bopping her head. “Rule number one, we have to wait for your signal because you’re going to hold us in your arms first.”

Kara nodded in confirmation. It was important her girls would only fly once she said they could because she couldn’t risk civilians seeing them, which meant she had to fly somewhere where it was safe letting them fly around.

“Rule number two, we have to stay close to you,” Lyn said, “just like we promised mam.”

“Rule number three, if we lose control of our balance or think we’ll fall, we have to tell you,” Elle said, “even though we can’t get hurt easily if we fall or crash.”

“But we’re not allowed to crash into anything,” Lyn added. “We can’t break anything, that’s rule number four.”

“Yes, precisely,” Kara said. She spun into her suit and smiled. “And don’t forget about rule number five, the most important one of all.”

“Have fun!” Elle and Lyn squealed.

“We will have super much fun,” Lyn said, giggling.

“Okay, then we’re ready to go,” Kara said, taking her daughters into her arms. “I don’t say up, up and away though, that’s more a thing my cousin does.”

“I think you’re better than Superman,” Elle said with a serious nod.

“Yes, way, way, way better,” Lyn chimed in. “Girlpower.”

“Girls rule and boys drool,” Elle whispered, high fiving Lyn.

“Is it true you beat Superman, mom?” Lyn asked.

Kara chuckled as she shot up into the sky with her daughters in her arms. She started off slow until she realized they could take the speed. It felt different holding two tiny beings she didn’t have to worry she might break, though she did reel her strength and speed in a little because in the end she was far stronger and faster.

“I did defeat Superman when we got rid of the Daxamites,” she finally answered, although she didn’t intend gloating about it. “He wasn’t himself when we fought and I had to stop him,” she explained while she flew higher. “Have you seen a lot about me and heard a lot about me?”

At this point she was worried they may have seen or heard things she wasn’t proud of. She was many things, but perfect wasn’t one of them.

“Not much, only a little,” Elle answered, smiling as she looked down. “Whoa, everything is so tiny now!”

“I wish we could go into space,” Lyn said with a deep sigh. “But mam said we wouldn’t be able to breathe in space because there’s no oxygen and even though we need to breathe less often than humans, we still need oxygen.”

“Did you know we can hold our breath under water for almost five minutes?” Elle shared proudly.

“Five whole minutes?” Kara asked, smiling at her girls. “I’m impressed.”

She flew towards the water with her daughters, where it was even darker than it was in the city. There was no heartbeat around aside from theirs. “Okay, girls, now I’ll let you fly,” she said as she slowly let go of them.

Elle shrieked and stretched her arm out, touching the surface of the water.

“Mom, look, I can do tricks,” Lyn said as she flew in circles.

“Can we use all of our powers, mom?” Elle asked with a hopeful smile. “Please can we? I want to try my freeze breath and my heat vision.”

“Would it hurt if I punch you to practice?” Lyn asked Kara. “Mam always freaks out when Elle and I practice, but our fights are not real fights.”

“Let’s stick to flying for tonight,” Kara answered, holding her hands up to slow her daughters down. She felt like she needed to discuss this with Lena because regardless of the bad place they were in, there were things about the girls they had to agree on together.

“Is this going to be one of those situations where if we ask you, you’ll tell us to ask mam and if we ask mam, she’ll tell us to ask you?” Lyn asked Kara, crossing her arms over her chest. “Because that’s what Aden’s parents do.”

“It’s not going to be like that,” Kara answered, although sometimes it might turn out that way. “And who is Aden?”

Elle splashed some water at Lyn. “A boy,” she said simply, continuing splashing water around.

Kara shook her head. “What happened to you two being waterfalls?” she asked, smiling. “Aden is a boy, okay, and?”

“Lyn likes him,” Elle said, giggling as Lyn pushed her.

“Nu-uh, I don’t like Aden,” Lyn pouted. “Boys are gross and they have germs and cooties.”

“I hope you’ll still say that when you’re a teenager,” Kara whispered, though of course her daughters heard her and frowned at her.

“Mom, Elle and I saw you with a tall boy on the news when you fought Superman,” Lyn said.

“A tall boy…,” Kara replied, frowning. “Oh, you must be talking about Mon-El,” she said, scrunching up her nose. “He was the prince of Daxam.”

“He kissed you on the news,” Elle said, making a face of disgust. “He looked slimy.”

Kara chuckled. “Slimy is… not wrong,” she agreed. “I broke his nose after he kissed me because I told him not to kiss me.”

“Does that mean we can break someone’s nose if they don’t listen to us?” Elle asked Kara. “If a boy or a girl kisses me and I don’t like it, can I break their nose? Can I break someone’s nose if I said no and they still do the thing? Do you like mam? Would you rather kiss mam? When are you going to kiss mam?”

“You should kiss mam,” Lyn chimed in, nodding with Elle. “Because you’re our parents and parents are supposed to be together in love. Are you in love with mam? Why do you live so far away from mam? Are you mad at her?”

“I feel dizzy,” Kara said as she brought her hands up to her head. Now she got a scope of what people felt when she rambled on, only she endured it twice as much. “Okay, let’s see if I can get this right,” she whispered. “Elle, you can’t break someone’s nose if they don’t listen to you. If a boy or girl kisses you then you also can’t break their nose, unless you said no and they still kissed you, then you need to tell me or your mam so we can take care of it. But you’re a little young to worry about that yet. And some things are more effective than breaking a nose, which actually, never mind, I shouldn’t talk about that.”

“Oh Rao, Alex would be better at explaining this,” Kara whispered. “Things between your mam and I are… um… complicated, but you don’t need to worry about that either. I don’t want to kiss anyone unless it’s a puppy. You like puppies, right?”

“We know what you’re doing, mom,” Lyn replied, rolling her eyes.

“Yes, mom,” Elle pitched in. “You can’t change the topic by bringing up puppies, we’re not five anymore.”

“Sadly,” Kara breathed out while she clenched her fingers. “I’m sorry, girls, but some parents aren’t together. I’m sure your mam is a good mother, but we’re not in love.”

“Your heart sounds different when you talk about mam,” Lyn noted.

“Maybe you’re not in love,” Elle sighed. “But… do you love her?”

“Girls, I’d rather not talk about your mam unless it’s important,” Kara said, wincing when she saw their faces fall. “I mean, err…unless it’s something about you two.”

“Okay, mom,” Lyn replied, kicking her foot in the water. “How were we born?”

“Yes,” Elle said. “How did you put us in mam’s tummy?”

Kara clapped her hands together. “Freeze breath,” she said, blowing some onto the water, “is what I’ll teach you about right now.”

“Hey, you’re deflecting our questions again,” Lyn pointed out.

Kara was truly underestimating her daughters. “Well you can choose… either I answer or you ask your mam instead while I teach you how to use your freeze breath properly,” she replied, crossing her fingers. She nearly pumped her fist in the air when they chose the latter.

 

 

* * *

 

 

“Can I take your order?”

“No, we just waited in line for half an hour to say hello,” Livewire answered flatly.

Lena brought a hand up to her open mouth while other customers scrambled away. Entering a Chinese restaurant to order takeout with Livewire drew attention. “Hi, I’ll have baked rice, chicken sweet corn soup and honey chicken,” she said with a polite smile. “Livewire?”

Livewire groaned when a couple who just walked in ran off screaming. She spun around and glared at the people who were staring. “If y’all keep looking at me as if I’m some kind of show and scream, I’ll give y’all a real show when your hero who wears underwear over his suit makes an appearance,” she scoffed. “Seriously though,” she mumbled to Lena. “It’s weird and you don’t see Supergirl flying around with a bra strapped around her chest over her suit.”

“You’re frustrated and I’m hungry, so if you could voice your order that would be lovely,” Lena said as she reached for her wallet. “The sooner we get out of here, the sooner we can get away from prying eyes.”

“Fine,” Livewire grumbled. “I’ll have what she’s having.”

Forty minutes later and two threats from Livewire to fry people, they were sitting near the docks with their food.

Lena was relieved it didn’t come down to Superman showing up and technically, Livewire belonged in National City. “What has brought you to Metropolis?” she asked while she swung her legs over the edge. One push and she would end up in the water, although the same went for Livewire and if the villain would push her into the cold water she would pull her in it with her.

“I just wanted to check it out, it’s what I do sometimes,” Livewire answered with a shrug. “When I saw you enter that bar I was a little surprised. You always look like you got your shit together, but today you were a mess. Masks crack, don’t they?”

“A mask can only stay in place for so long,” Lena answered as she smiled sadly. “The girl I told you about…I did something terrible. I mean, yes, she broke my heart, but I broke hers as well and I made a mistake I can’t fix.”

“Mistakes can’t always be fixed, but we sure as hell can learn from them and hey, at least you know where you went wrong.”

“And I’m pouring my heart out to a villain again,” Lena chuckled.

She smiled when Livewire grinned at her. Her day didn’t go how she thought it would, though it went better. Overall Livewire was on the rude side and she was sarcastic, but she felt she had a chance building a friendship with her. Perhaps striking up a friendship with one of Kara’s enemies wasn’t the brightest idea, but this wasn’t about Kara and she was allowed to have friends. Or well, friend, considering she had no friends.

“Yeah, I’m Livewire, I’m a villain, I get it,” Livewire said, sounding nowhere near offended. “Sometimes I go by Leslie though, depends on the people.”

“I tend to go by Lena rather than Luthor,” Lena replied, finishing up her soup.

“Duly noted,” Livewire mumbled. She dug around for her rice and put it on her lap. “It’s kind of nice to know you’re not just some uptight CEO.”

“That’s one way to see the positive side of the mess I’ve been,” Lena said. She shook her head, thinking how Livewire saw one of her worst moments she wasn’t proud of yet she didn’t ran for the hills. “For your information, it’s nice to know there’s a person behind the villain.”

Livewire huffed out a laugh. “Who says fyi aloud like that?” she asked, gazing at Lena. “You’re a weird one, but that’s chill cuz the weird ones are my favorite. Besides, normal is boring anyway.”

 


	7. Chapter 7

Elle and Lyn fell down on the bed in Kara’s guestroom when they woke up.

“The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree,” Kara noted with a wince, although personally she often fell down on the floor rather than on her bed. “Good morning, girls.”

“Good morning, mom,” Lyn and Elle replied in sync as they scurried off of the bed.

Kara was going to get them proper beds later on, though for now her guestroom had to make do. “Breakfast is ready,” she announced, rubbing her hands together.

Lyn frowned and put her hands on her hips. “You’re not dressed yet,” she said to Kara.

“Which I’m aware of,” Kara confirmed.

Elle beamed. “Does that mean we can eat breakfast in our pajamas?” she asked Kara, eyes sparkling.

“Yup,” Kara answered, puzzled when her daughters squealed. Before she had the chance doing or saying anything else, the girls brushed past her and flew downstairs. “Hey, wait for me,” she called out while she hurried after them.

She came to a stop in the kitchen, surprised they actually did wait and didn’t dig in yet. Something was off when she joined them at the table, judged from the way they bit their lip. “Girls?” she asked, folding her hands onto her lap. “Is something wrong?”

Lyn shared a look with Elle.

“Is mam going to join us for breakfast?” Elle asked Kara.

“No, because she’s not here,” Kara answered, sighing quietly. “You can eat breakfast with her tomorrow morning though.”

“We always eat breakfast with mam,” Lyn said. “It’s a rule we have.”

“You could fly to mam and bring her here,” Elle suggested.

“I’m sorry, girls, but I can’t do that,” Kara replied, slowly moving her hands to fill her plate. “Let’s eat breakfast and later today I’ll take you back to your mam.”

“Can’t or won’t?” Lyn asked, crossing her arms over her chest.

“No, Lyn,” Elle whispered quietly, nudging her sister. “You’ll make mom mad.”

“I won’t be mad at you two,” Kara said, sighing when her daughters jumped up. They probably weren’t used having someone around who heard everything they whispered. “I can’t fly to bring your mam here for more than one reason. I can’t leave you two alone and no, you can’t fly with me because it’s daytime now. Your mam probably made her own breakfast and things between your mam and I are complicated.”

“Oh… okay then,” Lyn whispered, staring at her hands as she placed them on her lap.

“We understand,” Elle added weakly.

Kara wanted to promise them that one day they might all eat breakfast together, but that was something she couldn’t promise and she didn’t want to make promises she might not be able to keep. All of this was tough for Lyn and Elle, but it was also tough for her and probably for Lena as well.

 

 

* * *

 

 

The doorbell rang early in the morning, too early for the girls to be back yet. Lena wasn’t expecting Kara bringing them back until tonight and as she opened her door she saw it wasn’t her. She glanced down, sighing considering she was wearing silk pajamas, slippers and a robe.

“Hello,” she said, after deciding good morning might not have been accurate. “Alex,” she added slowly, staring at Kara’s sister who had aged a bit and had chopped her long locks off from the looks of her.

“Morning, Lena,” Alex replied, hands loosely placed on her hips.

Lena pinched the bridge of her nose. It was too early to deal with anything and she was fairly certain she had a lingering headache from the alcohol. “Are you here to yell at me, too?” she asked, deciding it was best to get it over with.

“No,” Alex answered, dropping her hands next to her body. “I’m here to talk.”

“Alright, you may come in,” Lena said, moving aside to let Alex pass. “Ignore my outfit, I only woke up ten minutes ago and was about to brew a cup of coffee, speaking of which, would you like a cup?”

“Yeah, coffee sounds good,” Alex answered as she stepped inside. “And I don’t mind your outfit. This is your home. You can wear anything you want. I’m long glad you’re not naked, well, I suppose that depends on how you view being glad.”

Lena raised a curious eyebrow. “I take it you’re still working out the kinks between complimenting a woman and flirting with a woman,” she said while she walked towards her kitchen, getting started on their coffee.

“Well, it’s a fine line,” Alex replied with a shrug. “Anyway, I’m not here to talk about how you’d look naked.”

Lena eyed Alex, but she let that one slide. “What do you want to talk about?” she asked, as if it wasn’t obvious. She grabbed two mugs and put them down on the counter while their coffee was brewing.

“My sister gave me a brief rundown of what happened since Lyn showed up on her doorstep,” Alex said, sighing as she looked at Lena, who looked far paler than she did when they were younger. “How are you holding up? Are you sleeping okay?”

Lena blinked her eyes rapidly as she met Alex’s. First Kara’s sister didn’t yell at her and now she was asking if she was okay. “I’m fine,” she answered with a tight smile. “And my sleep is neither here or there.”

“Kara said some harsh things to you.”

“Yes… well, I deserved it,” Lena whispered, keeping her hands still to avoid fidgeting.

“You look and sound kind of like I did when a woman named Maggie broke my heart,” Alex noted.

Lena went rigid. She just about jumped when the coffeemaker signaled their coffee was ready. “It was nine years ago, it doesn’t matter,” she said, pouring their coffee into the mugs. “I’m sorry to hear you had your heart broken.”

“I think it matters more than you want anyone to believe,” Alex said, accepting a cup of coffee. “I’m not happy you didn’t tell my sister about the twins, but like I said, I didn’t come here to yell at you. I’m here to hear your side of things because so far I only heard Kara’s.”

Lena wrapped her fingers around her mug. “I thought you would go all protective big sister and side with Kara regardless, not that this is a matter about sides, but still,” she sighed. She sat down at her table and blew over her steamy cup of coffee, signaling at Alex to join her at the table.

“I’m Switzerland,” Alex replied, settling down in front of Lena.

“After the girls were born, I saw Kara on the news a lot,” Lena said with a faint smile at the memory. “The girls were about two years old and their powers were developing rapidly when I was considering contacting Kara because I figured maybe raising them by myself wasn’t going to work after all.”

She took a sip from her coffee and drew a deep breath. Back then she had gotten so close to contact Kara she almost did it. She remembered the piece of paper she held with a phone number on it, but she ended up crumpling it and tossing it away.

Alex sipped her coffee slowly while she watched Lena who spoke as if talking was too tiring, cost too much effort.

“I was going to contact Kara then, but before I had the chance, the news was on,” Lena continued, exhaling audibly. “It was an emergency broadcast of sorts, revealing Supergirl had gone rogue. The news showed her being a danger to civilians.”

“Ah…,” Alex whispered. “Red kryptonite, she got affected by that once, around six years ago.”

“When I saw her like that, I was too scared to contact her, couldn’t let her come near the girls,” Lena explained, shivering. “I know that doesn’t excuse why I never contacted her before that, when they were born or even before they were born. The day Kara had gone up in smoke nine years ago without saying goodbye I figured she wouldn’t want me to intrude on her life. I was a coward, afraid of what she might say or do.”

“Hmm, how about I babysit the girls tonight so you and Kara can go somewhere to talk?” Alex suggested, feeling like they both needed it. “There is a lot left unsaid between you two and you both deserve more answers from each other, plus you need to talk about the girls as well.”

“Not that your idea is bad,” Lena replied, sighing. “But I doubt Kara would be willing to speak in private with me again.”

“Don’t worry about that, Kara will agree to it,” Alex said reassuringly. “I’m her big sister. She won’t say no if I ask nicely.”

 

 

* * *

 

 

“Absolutely not, Alex,” Kara said while she shook her head.

“She’s the mother of your children, Kara,” Alex replied, grasping her sister’s hands. “Just… give her four hours and talk with her.”

Kara grumbled and muttered under her breath. She disliked how her sister had gone behind her back and visited Lena, though she wasn’t surprised considering she knew they got along when they were younger. “One hour,” she bargained.

Alex already saw that coming. “Two hours,” she suggested. “I know you want more answers and I know you’re upset, rightfully so, but at least try to be civil for two hours and talk. You might be surprised about what she has to say and I’m sure she has some questions for you as well.”

Kara dropped her sister’s hands and paced around. “She agreed to this or are you setting us up?” she asked with narrowed eyes.

“It’s not a set-up, Kara,” Alex sighed. “Lena agreed to this, so tonight I will be babysitting the girls and she’ll be waiting for you at the park in Metropolis.”

“Our old spot,” Kara whispered, swallowing thickly. “She’s nine years too late for that,” she scoffed, angered by Lena’s audacity choosing that spot out of all places she could have chosen. “Fine,” she mumbled, glancing at her confused sister.

“Kara,” Alex whispered as she tried to calm her sister down. “I know that spot must bring up a lot of memories, but-”

“You know nothing!” Kara snapped with tear-filled eyes. “You just…,” she said, unclenching her fists. “You don’t know the whole story. You don’t know what she did to me,” she whispered, backing away from her sister’s attempt for a hug. “That place is tainted. The last time I was there on that bench was on the day Lena shattered my heart.”

 


	8. Chapter 8

Lena sat on the bench with her fingers curled around a box. Alex showed up at her house earlier tonight to babysit the girls, who were excited about spending time with their ninja aunt. Of course Alex wasn’t actually a ninja, but it was endearing her daughters thought she was. She liked their creative imagination, their hopes and their beliefs.

The first time Elle and Lyn discovered Harry Potter, they thought he was real. They believed Hogwarts truly existed. At the time she asked them what made them so certain and they simply stated aliens and heroes were real, which meant wizards and witches had to be real as well. The first time they saw Sky High was a trip, too.

She listened to their endless rambling and questions about the school in the movie. Her girls wanted to know if such a school existed and if she they were allowed to attend it. It was a struggle for her to remove their pink glasses from time to time while still maintaining their dreams. She wasn’t the type of parent who wanted to crush their dreams by telling them awful things such as how Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny weren’t real.

It was endearing how up until this day, they believed in such child-like things, which were usually snuffed out at a young age, a too young age. She remembered her first Christmas with the Luthors, how her mother made it abundantly clear Santa Claus wasn’t real. Her mother also made sure there were no eggs for Easter.

The difference between her daughters and her was the fact she wished for all of those dreamy things to be real while they firmly believed they were real. If she could go back in time she should have told Kara about them so she could have been there, but if she was truly honest with herself, she wasn’t sure she would be capable of mustering the courage to do so. She didn’t have the courage all those years ago and she wasn’t sure she would have it if she could go back.

Minutes felt like ages while she waited for Kara to show up. She had spoken with Alex over the phone, who assured her she convinced her sister and reassured her the second she arrived to babysit the girls. In all fairness, she would understand it if Kara wouldn’t show up at all.

More seconds ticked by. She swore she was almost able to hear them tick on her watch, a Rolex she spent too much money on. “Why did you leave nine years ago without saying goodbye?” she whispered. She breathed out and gripped the box tighter. All those years she wanted an answer to that question.

“I didn’t just up and leave, you know,” Kara said, causing Lena to jolt and nearly drop the box. “You wanted to talk and I guess we do need to talk about… things, so I’m here.”

Lena held her breath as Kara sat down next to her, leaving some space between them. “What do you mean you didn’t up and leave?” she asked, frowning. “Nine years ago, you just… left.”

“No, I didn’t,” Kara insisted with a shake of her head. She turned facing Lena, trying to spot a lie, only to find none. “I’ll refresh your memory then,” she sighed.

“Please,” Lena nodded.

“Nine years ago, after the party, I was packing my things when I saw Veronica,” Kara started, recalling the memory vividly, as if it happened yesterday. “I told her to let you know I’d be at our usual spot near the park, this spot,” she explained, pressing her fingertip down on the very bench they sat on.

Lena’s eyebrows knitted together. It confused her why Kara said she told Veronica to give her such a memo when she spoke to Veronica nine years ago and didn’t receive any memo.

“I told Veronica to tell you to meet me at this spot on the first day of our summer break so we could talk,” Kara continued. “But you…” She paused, swallowing down tears she didn’t want to surface. “You never showed up,” she said, feeling small all of the sudden. “You know who did though?”

“Veronica…,” Lena whispered with venom in her voice as everything began to click as to why she didn’t get a goodbye from Kara.

“Yes,” Kara confirmed, balling her fists while tears escaped her regardless of her struggle to hold them back. “She showed up when it was close to midnight and she laughed in my face,” she scoffed, feeling the pain of that memory all over again.

Lena wanted to reach out for Kara, wanted to comfort her, but she was afraid she would leave. Seeing Kara cry felt like a fist was squeezing her heart.

“She made an offhand comment how pathetic I was for sitting there, waiting like a puppy for you and she said you were seeing someone and weren’t interested in me anymore,” Kara croaked out. “She said you only slept with me out of pity and that I was nothing but a toy. She said…” Her voice faded away and she shook her head, she couldn’t repeat every awful word Veronica spat at her nine years ago.

“That bitch!” Lena shouted. “Pardon my French, but what she said to you was all a lie,” she said, clenching her fingers, pretending in her mind she was choking Veronica. “She didn’t tell me about any of that and I sure didn’t say all those awful things. When you were gone, I walked into her and asked her if you said anything. She told me you left at the crack of dawn.”

Kara stared incredulously at Lena.

“Kara…,” Lena whispered, putting the box down on the ground for a bit. “I…,” she said with some hesitancy while she scooted closer. “I swear on Elle and Lyn’s life I’m telling you the truth,” she said, grasping Kara’s hands. “I never knew you sat on this bench nine years ago, waiting for me.”

“I…I don’t know what to say,” Kara whispered, feeling all of the air leave her lungs. “Back then I wanted to talk, wanted to give you a chance to explain why you kissed my cousin because we always said family was off limits and I wanted to…to tell you about my feelings, which I had back then, in the past, nine years ago.”

“You were going to say goodbye,” Lena whispered, feeling as if a train ran over her. “All these years I thought you left just like that… I thought you,” she said, swallowing, “abandoned me.”

Kara shook her head. “I left when I thought you ditched me as I waited on that bench, when Veronica told me… things,” she said, shuddering that she was clueless and thought Veronica spoke the truth. “She wasn’t malicious when we knew her. I don’t understand why she lied like that.”

“I think I have a hunch,” Lena sighed. “When you were gone, Veronica relentlessly tried to flirt with me, claiming we would have been a good match. She gave up eventually because I wasn’t interested in her.”

Kara struggled with the fact her broken heart was based upon Veronica’s lies. All those years she believed Lena ditched her, believed she refused meeting with her to explain and to have a chance to part properly, if parting would have been involved at all. She honestly thought Lena didn’t want her. It took a lot of energy out of her to move on and she was so ashamed by all the things Veronica said to her that she never told anyone, not even her own sister.

“Your question is answered now,” Kara said, pulling her hands out of Lena’s to wipe her tears away. “Now here’s mine. Eight years, Lena. Why didn’t you tell me?”

Lena sucked her lips into her mouth and picked up the box from the ground. “The kiss was a dare, it meant nothing. I just thought you should know that. And I had feelings for you, too,” she whispered before opening the box. “I was scared to tell you.”

“About your feelings or about the girls?”

“Both,” Lena answered with a deep sigh. “I was nineteen when I gave birth to our girls. At the time I was pretty sure I didn’t even want children because I didn’t know how to take care of a child, let alone two. You weren’t around anymore and I didn’t want to throw your life upside down the way mine had. Not that I would wish the girls away for anything in the world, but it hasn’t been easy.”

“I would have stepped up to the plate as their parent,” Kara replied, knowing for sure she would have.

“I told myself you abandoned me because you were gone in thin air at the time,” Lena explained, hating what Veronica did. “And I was scared, no scratch that, I was _terrified_ you would leave again if I brought you back. Deep down I know you wouldn’t abandon the girls because that isn’t you, but then again, I never thought you’d abandon me either and for nine years I thought you did just that.”

Lena swallowed hard. “You were the love of-” she cut herself off and put the box down, close to Kara. It was true what people said, how one never forgot their first love.

Kara peered at the box. “What is this?” she asked when she saw Lena nodding her head at it for her to open it.

“Something I should have showed you before,” Lena answered, biting her lip. “It contains pictures and videos of our daughters, ranging from when they were born until quite recently.”

Kara felt as if a frog got stuck in her throat. “Thank you,” she whispered, tracing her fingertips over the objects. She frowned when she caught sight of something else as well. “Letters?” she asked, looking at Lena.

Lena nodded. “Nine years,” she answered, clearing her throat, even though it wouldn’t make her sound any less broken. “I wrote letters addressed to you for nine years, but I never…I couldn’t send any of them, so instead I kept them, in that box. I’m sorry, Kara.”

Kara’s hands were trembling while she put the box aside. She didn’t have the strength to look through all of those things right now, not after all the new information she had to process. “You really believed for nine years I abandoned you?” she asked quietly. She recalled that feeling herself all too well, because she, too, believed she was abandoned when Lena didn’t show up all those years ago.

“I was scared and I felt unworthy of you, and I thought you finally realized you could find someone who was much better than I am,” Lena answered, nodding once. “There was so much darkness and I believed it. I believed you abandoned me because that’s what everyone has been doing my whole life.”

The air between them felt too suffocating for Kara. She knew they were supposed to talk about their daughters as well, but right now everything was too much and she needed space. “I… I have to go,” she whispered as she pushed herself up to stand. She shivered when fingers curled around her wrist and forced herself to look at Lena.

Lena was scared to let go. “Will I see you again?” she asked, failing to keep the tremble out of her voice.

Kara couldn’t bear how small and broken Lena sounded, which made her cry all over again. “Yes,” she answered, unmoving, not daring to pull away this time. She held the box under one arm while Lena hadn’t let go of her wrist yet. “I need to be alone for a while… I’m sorry,” she whispered as Lena let go.

Lena said nothing while Kara left. She hung her head down and rested her palms next to her on the bench. When arms wrapped around her body, she cried the tears she spent years holding in.

“I’m sorry I told you that you were dead to me,” Kara whispered, resting one hand at the back of Lena’s head and the other on her back. “I was upset and hurt, so I was trying to hurt you too. You’re not dead me, you never were.”

Lena didn’t know how long they were at the park, but by the time her tears subsided, the air had grown colder and it was a lot darker outside. She went home with a promise from Kara they would meet up again soon to talk about their daughters.

 


	9. Chapter 9

“Elle and Lyn are sleeping,” Alex whispered while she put her coat on. “The cookie and the milk worked like a charm, just like you said it would.”

“Thank you, Alex, I appreciate it,” Lena replied, smiling. “I hope they weren’t too much trouble.”

“They were a little hyperactive,” Alex admitted, chuckling. “But it was nice to spend some time with them. They were talking about a puppy you’ve been promising them.”

“I did promise them a puppy,” Lena confirmed. “Actually, I have an idea, but since it’s getting late, I’ll text you later.”

“Oh right, because I’m not curious at all to hear what your idea is,” Alex said, smiling as she buttoned up her coat. “It’s nice to see your eyes sparkling a little though, behind the redness.”

“Good night, Alex,” Lena whispered, seeing the woman out.

“Good night, Lena.”

Lena hardly shut the door when static coming from her television startled her. She sighed as Livewire appeared into her living room.

“Gobble, gobble,” Livewire said, grinning from ear to ear. “Cute girls,” she said while her eyes raked over all of the framed photographs.

Lena’s eye twitched. “Why are you in my house?” she asked, uncomfortable having her here while her daughters were sleeping upstairs.

Building a friendship or not, she hadn’t reached the stage where she wanted to let Livewire into her home. She was very protective and secretive about her girls, always keeping them out of the media and ensuring people didn’t know of their existence.

“I’m just visiting,” Livewire answered with a shrug. “Okay, whatever,” she said when Lena raised an eyebrow. “My girlfriend, who’s currently my ex-girlfriend for the third time, screamed at me. I mean, she’s a banshee, but still,” she explained, rubbing her ears. “You got anything to drink round here?”

“Silver Banshee,” Lena noted, having seen her in the news by Livewire’s side. “I’ll get you a drink, I was about to have one anyway.”

“Are you okay?” Livewire asked while Lena grabbed a bottle and two glasses. “Your eyes look kinda red.”

“Must be exhaustion,” Lena answered with trembling hands as she poured their drinks.

“Ladies can be serious trouble, hm?” Livewire commented. She placed a hand on Lena’s shoulder and pulled it away when Lena jumped up. “Damn, you’re tense.”

“I found out about some new facts, which were somewhat unsettling,” Lena whispered, handing one of the glasses to Leslie. “The girl I told you about didn’t leave without saying goodbye. A third party made us both believe there was no goodbye.”

“Sounds like you’re stuck with an enemy or something.”

“Not quite, the person in question was out to date me. Not that any attempts were ever successful,” Lena explained, sighing. She sipped from her drink and observed Leslie, who was too curious about all of the photographs she had. “What’s the deal between you and Silver Banshee?”

“I think I really pissed her off this time,” Livewire mumbled. She took a swig from her glass and another until it was empty. “Piece of advice, if you’re seeing someone, never tell them their voice is ugly.”

“Ouch, okay, so that’s why she screamed at you,” Lena noted.

“She sounds like she’s screeching sometimes when she speaks and we’re more together for the physical aspect, whenever we get together. It’s kind of an on and off thing. She’ll scream at me, I’ll give her space and in a couple of days or weeks she’ll reach out to me again.”

“Healthy…,” Lena replied, making a face. “Did nobody ever tell you you’re only supposed to make a woman scream in bed?” she asked, licking her lips.

Livewire grinned. “Remember the broken windows back at that building near the docks?” she asked, waggling her eyebrows when Lena nodded. “Why do you think they’re broken?”

“Listen, about these photographs,” Lena backtracked, sighing.

“Yeah, I get it,” Livewire said, refilling her glass. “You have kids and you don’t want anyone to know. I’m not going to tell anyone, if I do there would be some kind of dickhead targeting them or some stuff, not like you don’t have enough people wanting to assassinate you already.”

 

 

* * *

 

 

Samantha was a friend, sort of, through her sister. Okay, Kara didn’t know Samantha all that well yet, but within time she was sure they would know each other better. At least now they had in common they were both a parent, which was exactly what led her to knock on Samantha’s door on this lovely morning.

“Good morning, Kara,” Samantha said, smiling warmly.

“Good morning, Sam,” Kara replied, matching her smile with one of her own. “I was wondering if we could talk, because you know what it’s like to be a mother and I only found out recently that I have two daughters, and I was hoping you would be able to give me some advice, if it’s no trouble.”

“Well, my first advice would be, breathe,” Samantha replied with a chuckle. “Please come in,” she said, beckoning Kara. “Have you eaten?”

“Um… a little,” Kara answered, if four sticky buns and a stack of pancakes counted as a little. “I can grab a bite later though, I wouldn’t want to impose.”

“Not at all,” Samantha said, waving Kara off. “I was just about to make breakfast and wake up Ruby.”

“Oh no, did I wake you up?” Kara asked, wincing at the thought she might have.

“I do tend to sleep in my clothes,” Samantha answered, smiling as she gestured at herself, fully dressed already.

“That’s a relief,” Kara said, glad she didn’t wake Samantha. “Sleeping like that must come in handy. You never need to buy pajamas.”

“All of the ironing ruins it though,” Samantha pointed out. “Thankfully, I often sleep naked.”

“I’m sure my sister is happy about that,” Kara replied, shaking her head when Samantha gave her a knowing wink.

Samantha got started on breakfast, pulling out ingredients from her cupboard. “If you have any questions about parenting, I’ll do my best to answer them,” she said as she pulled out a pan and eggs.

Kara was planning on asking Lena for advice as well, considering she raised the girls for eight years by herself, but she didn’t want to appear entirely incompetent and clueless. She already bought a stack of books about parenting, hoping to get some insight from those as well.

“What’s an appropriate time for eight year olds to go to bed?” she asked, unsure, though Lena would probably be able to tell her what their bedtime was. “When they were with me, they didn’t get into their bed until after midnight,” she admitted shamefully, pretty sure that was too late.

“Each parent is different when it comes to rules such as bedtime,” Samantha answered, cracking the eggs open. “Personally, when my daughter was eight years old, I always sent her to bed around eight, unless she had no school the next day, then I let her stay up until ten. Nowadays I let her stay up until nine.”

“Eight?” Kara asked, a little surprised. It sounded early, especially if dinner was served around six, plus with her daughters’ appetite and how much they liked dessert after dinner, eight was unachievable.

“Mhmm,” Samantha hummed while she added bacon to the eggs. “I wanted to ensure Ruby wouldn’t be sleepy during school. Sleep is important, especially for children.”

“That’s true,” Kara agreed, nodding.

“Overall, it’s best to discuss this with Lena, to see what she has to say.”

“I know, I just don’t want to be the oblivious parent who doesn’t even know what she’s doing,” Kara replied, sighing. “Being a mom is a big responsibility and I want to do right by my daughters.”

“I think so far you’re nailing the part where you’re worrying like a mother,” Samantha pointed out with a smile.

 

 

* * *

 

 

Elle and Lyn squealed as they rushed inside of the building.

Lena smiled at their enthusiasm. “Thank you for meeting up with us,” she said to Kara, who stood next to her.

“I knew it would mean a lot to our daughters,” Kara replied, fumbling with her glasses.

“It does,” Lena confirmed, her smile faltering slightly. Of course all of this was for Elle and Lyn, not for them. “Shall we then?”

Kara nodded and followed Lena inside of the building. Almost a week had passed since she sat with Lena on that bench at the park to talk. She was a bit surprised when Lena asked her if she was okay with meeting up with her and their daughters, though when she was told why she readily agreed.

“Aren’t they the cutest?” Elle asked Lena and Kara while she was surrounded by puppies. “They’re so soft and playful and sweet.”

“They’re still babies,” Lyn said while she scooped two puppies up in her arms. “Can we have ten of them?”

Lena chuckled. “Just one, sweetie,” she answered, shaking her head.

Kara’s face lit up as she watched the puppies. “I had a dog when I was younger,” she said to Lena, smiling ruefully.

“Oh?” Lena asked, a little surprised because Kara never told her that before.

“They look happy,” Kara said, observing Elle and Lyn who were rolling around as the puppies licked their faces. “It’s sweet you’re getting them a puppy.”

“We,” Lena corrected. “This is something from both of us.”

Kara rubbed her fingers underneath her glasses because her eyes were watery. She appreciated it that Lena was letting her have this moment too. It crossed her mind to get Elle and Lyn a puppy, but she didn’t want to get them one behind Lena’s back who promised them one for a long time.

Lena stretched her hand out, intending to caress Kara’s back the way she used to when they were younger, but halfway she curled her fingers towards her palm and retrieved her hand. She didn’t want to be inappropriate.

“Hmmph, choosing is going to be difficult,” Lyn said, frowning at Elle. “Maybe if we pout we’ll get two, one each,” she whispered to Elle.

Kara chuckled as she listened to the twins whispering, plotting how to get more than one puppy. “How do you ever resist their pout?” she asked Lena, thinking how she would get them all of the dogs in this shelter just so they wouldn’t pout.

“Years of practice, darling,” Lena answered, the endearment slipping naturally from her lips. “I can’t always resist their pout, it’s a strong power they inherited from you,” she said, hoping Kara wouldn’t mention the endearment.

Kara felt as if her heart was being squeezed a little. “I recall you having an irresistible pout yourself,” she replied, remembering it well.

Lena felt a little bit lighter when she heard Elle and Lyn giggle while they played with the puppies. It was kind of the people who worked at the shelter to let them, although she assumed it had a lot to do with their matching twin pout. “I was thinking about moving to National City so our girls would be closer to you,” she whispered, now that their daughters were distracted. “How would you feel about that?”

Kara blinked her eyes, a little perplexed. “I um… err… I don’t know,” she answered, not having expected Lena to contemplate something like that. She didn’t want to rip Elle and Lyn away from the place where they grew up. “I wouldn’t mind all of you moving to National City, depending on what our daughters want and what’s best for them.”

“We’re moving to National City?” Lyn asked, face lighting up.

Lena winced a little. Apparently their daughters weren’t as distracted by the puppies as she hoped.

“Yesss,” Elle said with a big smile on her face. “We’re all going to live with mom.”

“No, girls…,” Lena tried, because that wasn’t what she meant.

“We can decorate our bedroom, make it really pretty,” Lyn said. “And we can help mam to move everything,” she said to Elle, nodding.

“You’re the best parents in the world,” Elle said happily to Lena and Kara. “In the universe,” she corrected, giggling.

“Do you hear that, puppies?” Lyn asked, hugging her arms around as many puppies as she could. “Two of you are going to live with my sister, my mothers and me.”

“I…,” Lena said, at a loss with how happy and excited the twins were. She glanced at Kara. “Help?”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Feel free to leave dog names in the comments if you want. I might use them. :)


	10. Chapter 10

Kara gulped because no way did she know how to break it to Elle and Lyn that they weren’t talking about all of them living together in her house, or any house. It was a simple misunderstanding, well not so simple actually. The girls probably assumed Lena meant her house when she mentioned moving to National City for the girls to be closer to her.

“Hey, wait a minute,” Kara said, frowning. “Two puppies?”

“There’s two of us, mom,” Lyn answered, pointing at Elle and herself.

“You can have one puppy, not two,” Lena said to the girls.

“But, we already have to share so much,” Elle said, pouting. “Lyn and I even had to share a womb.”

“Oh Rao,” Kara whispered, assuming Lena ended up answering their questions about how they were born and such.

“How can we become our own person when you always make us aware there’s two of us?” Lyn asked, sharing Elle’s pout. “Don’t you want us to be strong powerful and independent women who don’t have to rely on each other?”

“They’re good,” Kara whispered in Lena’s ear, mildly impressed. They definitely got that from Lena, not from her.

“Not helping,” Lena replied, pinching the bridge of her nose. Of course Elle and Lyn were so sneaky to bring up such an argument just so they could have more than one puppy. “There are so many people who don’t have any dogs because they can’t afford one. We are able to afford a dog and you both know how important it is to share. Don’t you want to grow up selfless rather than selfish?” she asked the twins.

“I got this,” Elle said to Lyn, squeezing her shoulder. “But, mam, think about all the dogs who don’t have homes. You always said it’s important to help the homeless. Doesn’t that extend to dogs as well? Don’t their lives matter?”

“Yes,” Lyn chimed in. “We are capable of feeding more than one dog, so why only adopt one? Plus, if we have two, they’ll have each other just as Elle and I have each other.”

Lena muttered under her breath. “I should’ve never given them books,” she said to Kara, chuckling lightly.

“You tried,” Kara said, a little humored. “I wouldn’t have been able to argue any better, you were always better at debates,” she whispered, not blaming Lena for caving in. “I take it we’re getting them two puppies?”

“Unfortunately,” Lena confirmed. “They do look cute though,” she admitted, gazing at the puppies who were waggling their tails.

“Now we only need to talk about m-o-v-i-n-g,” Kara whispered to Lena, slowly spelling the word moving out.

A laugh escaped Lena while the twins snickered. She almost called Kara darling again. “Kara, if their arguments earlier weren’t a hint yet, they can spell,” she pointed out.

Kara’s eyes sparked, hearing Lena laugh. In this moment, seeing Elle and Lyn so happy while Lena appeared relaxed, everything hurt a little less. “Excuse me for bit,” she said with a smile.

Lena raised an eyebrow. “You’re going to play with the puppies, aren’t you?” she asked, knowing Kara well enough as she watched her walk towards the puppies.

Kara turned around. “You were thinking the same thing, I know you were,” she answered, amused when Lena’s eyes kept flitting towards the puppies.

Lena averted her eyes, but when she heard Kara and the twins laughing, she looked anyway. They were all on the floor on their back, having fun while the puppies were overjoyed to be petted. She shook her head and stalked up to them, not believing she let them rope her into getting on the floor in her expensive designer clothes.

The puppies were happy with all of the attention they were receiving. They waggled their tails, barked in the cutesy way puppies did and kept trying to lick the faces of their visitors.

The employee explained they could pick up their puppies tomorrow, after they received another checkup from the vet.

“They’re all so cute,” Elle cooed. She was lying down on her stomach, wiggling her legs back and forth while she had her elbows propped up on the floor with her face resting in her hands. She laughed when one of the puppies licked her nose. “I choose you,” she said, reaching out for the puppy.

“One down, one to go,” Lena said to Kara, sharing a rare smile with her.

“It’s a boy,” Kara concluded. “What are you going to name him?”

“Bumble!” Elle proclaimed excitedly. “Because I love bees and he looks like a bumble to me. His skin is kind of golden, so that kind of makes him yellow. And Bumblebee is an autobot in Transformers, which is super cool because one moment he’s a car and then he’s a robot because he transforms,” she explained, babbling on with a smile on her face.

Lena decided it was definitely worth it she was finally getting the girls the puppy she promised them and she didn’t mind they talked her into getting two, which in hindsight, she should have known was going to happen. Seeing Elle happy made her feel happy as well.

“Don’t give me those puppy looks,” Lyn said to the handful of puppies which were trying to get her attention.

“Now you know how it feels,” Lena said to Lyn, chuckling lightly. “Excuse me while I step away for a bit before I adopt them all,” she whispered to Kara.

Kara shook her head, smiling. She was reminded of the fun she used to have with Lena nine years ago. They made a pretty good match back then, they were close and most of their peers thought they were a couple. Neither one of them was really brave enough at the time to say how they felt, although she was going to, but she never got the chance. Back then they rolled into a friends with benefits situation by accident, sort of.

There was a time where Lena was a tad drunk and she had been drinking a lot as well, but the alcohol hadn’t affected her. At the time Lena didn’t know yet she was an alien. When Lena kissed her she kissed her back and one thing led to another, though she did ask Lena multiple times if she was sure. The next day Lena felt so bad, worried she had ruined their friendship and then she basically blurted out they could still be friends even though they had slept with each other just to keep Lena from fretting about it.

Lyn put a hand in front of her eyes and used her other hand to blindly select a puppy. “Hmm,” she hummed. “I think I’ll name you Gryffindog, Gryff for short,” she said, nodding to herself. “I’m a Gryffindor and it’s my favorite house of all the houses and you’re my dog, so you belong in Gryffindor, too.”

“Awe, they’re adorable,” Kara said, petting the puppies her daughters had chosen. “Now I have two daughters and two sons,” she said, and she could have sworn she heard Lena whisper _dork_ very faintly.

 

 

* * *

 

 

Lena accepted Kara’s offer to have pancakes at a place that came with a play area so their daughters were able to run around and play, which gave them a chance to talk about her thinking about moving to National City. Although it was safe to say she was more than thinking about it, considering their girls heard her and were thrilled to move.

Kara sipped from her hot chocolate. She heard Lena trying to stifle a chuckle behind her hand. “What?” she asked, frowning as she put her cup down.

“You have a little something…,” Lena answered, gesturing at Kara’s face. She smiled at the sight of the whipped cream mustache Kara had given herself and shook her head when she stuck her tongue out to lick her chin. Nine years and Kara was still a major dork. “Come here,” she whispered, beckoning her closer while she reached for a napkin.

Kara leaned over the table and held her breath when Lena did the same. Lena’s eyes were intense up close. She remembered how she used to drown in her eyes, but that was in the past now. Lena had beautiful eyes, not more and not less than that. It was a basic observation.

Lena dabbed the napkin under Kara’s nose, ridding her from the mustache which looked adorable on her. Her eyes dipped to Kara’s lips, though only because she was dabbing the napkin so close to them. “There, all gone,” she said, her voice coming out like a whisper.

“Um… t-thanks,” Kara replied, offering her a small smile as she leaned away. “I was thinking about you,” she said, eyes widening when Lena raised an eyebrow. “And the girls,” she added quickly.  “About the three of you moving to National City, is what I meant.”

Lena wrapped her hands around her cup, which unlike Kara’s didn’t have a thick layer of whipped cream on top of it. “Yes?” she prodded calmly.

“Okay, so first off I want to mention that this is just a suggestion and you can decline it if you disagree because you’re not obligated to agree, not that I think you would think you’re obligated to agree. We can discuss this together, the two of us, adults, because I want what is best for Elle and Lyn, and I know you want what’s best for them as well. A suggestion isn’t final. Well I guess that’s why it’s called a suggestion and not a decision.”

Lena’s lips stretched into a smile against her cup of hot chocolate. “Kara,” she interrupted, endeared by her ramble, but unfortunately they didn’t have all day. “I’d like to hear your suggestion now.”

Kara took a deep breath, hoping her suggestion wouldn’t sound crazy, since she only just came up with up on their way from the shelter to here. “How about the girls move in with me and perhaps you as well, if you want, temporarily, until you find a home to your liking? Because I know it can take a while to find a home that feels right. Not that I’m trying to push you into moving as fast as possible, but maybe having the girls around can give me a chance to get to know them better and for them to get to know me better as well.”

“I know it’s a lot and it’s sudden, I’m still processing all of it myself,” Kara explained further. “But it would be lovely to have the girls around and I think it’s amazing you thought about moving since that’s a big step. I have an old office space at my house which I can clear out for you, so we’ll each kind of have our own space, but I’m sure we can keep things civil.”

Lena slowly opened and closed her mouth several times like a fish trying to breathe on land. Her mind kind of short-circuited after Kara suggested that not only the girls could move in with her, but she as well. It was true that finding a house in National City wouldn’t happen overnight. She could find houses fast, although finding a house to her liking would take time. Kara brought up valuable points. There was just one detail her mind kept tripping over.

“You want me to move in with you?” she asked slowly. “Temporarily,” she noted. “But still, in your house, where you live?”

“Umm… it is kind of common for people to live in their house, yes,” Kara answered dryly, confused why that part confused Lena. “And I’m not sure if want is accurate, it’s more of an offer so you don’t necessarily have to rent a hotel room for Rao knows how long.”

 


	11. Chapter 11

Lena took a stack of plates from her cupboard to wrap them up in the bubble wrap she bought, which was a safer bet than newspaper. What she hadn’t anticipated was Gryff and Bumble running in front of her legs and between them, tripping her. With a shriek, she lost her balance.

Elle and Lyn whipped their head around from where they were boxing books.

Kara, who was holding a drawer from a closet to empty it, put it down and sped over to the kitchen, just in time to catch Lena and steady her with one arm while her other hand steadied the plates. She put the plates down on the table, which was within her reach.

Lena was half-dipped, her head resting on Kara’s arm. If she didn’t know any better, it looked as if they were sharing a sensual dance. Those blue eyes were staring into hers; cool yet warm, grounding her and making her lose her footing at the same time.

Music began to play, which caused Lena and Kara to frown.

“Packing is better when you have music,” Alex said with half a shrug.

Kara’s eyes went from her sister to the twins back to Lena. “Oh um… here,” she said, steadying Lena properly.

“Thank you,” Lena replied with a small smile. “I should have been more careful,” she said with a chuckle.

“It could have happened to any one of us,” Kara said as she went back to the drawer to continue emptying it.

“Mam, can we take our puppies for a walk with our cool ninja aunt?” Elle asked, leash already in her hand.

“I still can’t believe they dubbed me their cool aunt,” Alex said, smiling.

“Of course,” Lena answered, briefly glancing at Alex. “If Alex doesn’t mind?”

“Children and puppies?” Alex replied, smiling more. “I’m only human, I can’t say no to that combination.”

“Stay close to Alex,” Kara said to Elle and Lyn. “And hold her hand,” she added, eyes flitting towards Lena to check if she agreed.

Lena responded with a smile and a brief nod.

The girls quickly made themselves scarce with Alex and their dogs, leaving Kara and Lena to continue packing.

Lena pushed herself up on the tip of her toes to reach the top shelf of her cupboard, but her fingers barely touched the shelf.

“Need a hand?”

Lena jumped up and stumbled against Kara, who was standing behind her and had startled her by whispering in her ear. “Yes, I can’t quite reach it,” she answered with a sigh.

Kara flew up, effortlessly emptying the shelf. She handed everything to Lena one by one, their fingers brushing just a little each time. “If there’s anything else you need a hand with, let me know,” she said with a tight smile.

“Will do,” Lena replied, though she didn’t want to bother Kara too much. It was sweet Kara and Alex came over to help pack everything, although she knew Kara was doing it for the girls.

Kara’s fingers lingered around old photographs in frames. Her smile was bittersweet at the sight of a younger Elle and Lyn in matching Christmas sweaters with Lena. She couldn’t stop the few tears that escaped her. It hurt how much she missed. Eight years was a lot. She didn’t get to teach her daughters how to read, didn’t get to see them take their first steps or see their powers kick in. She knew Lena was sorry and she knew Lena wished she could fix it somehow, but what was gone was gone. She was never going to have those first eight years with her daughters back.

Lena watched with a rueful smile how Kara clutched a framed photograph in her hands. It made her doubt if it was really such a good idea at all for her to temporarily move in with Kara as well. She initially agreed because of the girls and because it was Kara’s idea, but now she found herself second guessing. If her being in Kara’s home was going to hurt her more than she already hurt her, then she didn’t want to be in her home. A hotel wasn’t cheap, but she was more than wealthy enough to afford it.

Kara knew she had to move on and focus on the future, but the past still lingered. She wondered if they could have been a happy family if Veronica hadn’t spun that lie nine years ago. If Veronica had told Lena she was waiting for her on that bench, Lena would have shown up and she would have confessed her feelings. She was almost certain that was how it would have gone down. If Veronica hadn’t come in between it all, Lena wouldn’t have thought she left without saying goodbye. Things could have been different, should have been different.

“Kara,” Lena said with some hesitancy. “I would like to show you something.”

Kara quickly wiped her tears away with the back of her hand. She wordlessly walked up to Lena.

Lena revealed a thick map. “This is one of the most valuable items I own,” she said while she put it down on the table. “In case of a fire, I would definitely make sure this doesn’t go up in flames,” she explained as she opened the map. “Every drawing Elle and Lyn ever made and everything they painted is in this map.” She hadn’t been able to put it in the box she gave to Kara because these pieces were unique, irreplaceable.

New tears slid down Kara’s cheeks. The first drawing was one of three stick figures standing on yellow grass with a blue sun.

“I loved watching them color when they were younger,” Lena said, smiling at the memory. “They didn’t care if the grass was green or yellow or another color. They didn’t color within the lines and that’s precisely how it should be to let their creativity flow.”

Kara’s fingers skimmed through the artworks, because that was what they were to her, artworks.

“How about you hold on to this map for a while?” Lena suggested, even though it was a struggle to give it out of her hands. She just wished so badly she could right her wrong, could restore what she took away from Kara.

“I’d like that,” Kara replied, her voice cracking slightly in the middle.

Lena wanted to say sorry again, but instead she just hugged Kara, like how she had hugged her after they had that talk at the park. She knew Kara was going to need a lot more time to think things through and to process everything, which merely added to why it was a bad idea for her to move in with Kara, even if it was temporarily. Kara said she was going to have her own space, but that didn’t take away they would be under the same roof.

“I should continue packing,” Kara said as she tore herself away from the hug. Being this close to Lena was too much. “There’s still a lot left to get through and I’m supposed to be fast.”

Lena nodded mutely. She wasn’t sure if hugging Kara had been the best idea to offer her comfort while she was the one who made her feel hurt in the first place.

 

 

* * *

 

 

Kara winced when the puppies knocked a lamp over.

“I’ll pay for that,” Lena said immediately. “And any other damage they may cost you,” she added as an afterthought.

“No, it’s fine,” Kara replied, waving Lena off. “It was just a lamp, it wasn’t valuable.”

“Bumble and Gryffindog want to play,” Lyn said, smiling as she watched the puppies run around.

“I think they’re getting sleepy again,” Elle said while the puppies jumped on Kara’s couch and nestled themselves there.

Kara hadn’t planned on letting the puppies onto her couch, but they looked so adorable and she didn’t have the heart to chase them away. “How about you go decorate your bedroom?” she suggested to her daughters, who immediately beamed in response.

“I have lots of posters,” Lyn said to Elle while she reached for one of her boxes.

Elle lifted another box. “I have glitter,” she replied, raising an eyebrow. “I’ll race you upstairs?”

Lyn grinned. “The winner gets the loser’s dessert for a week.”

“Girls!” Lena called out when her daughters rushed up the stairs. “Be careful!”

“So much energy,” Kara said, shaking her head with a smile on her face. “Where have the days gone,” she said with a sigh.

“You say that as if you’re old,” Lena said, shaking her head in disbelief. “To my knowledge, you always reminded me of those Duracell rabbits.”

“Well, I mean, my endurance isn’t bad,” Kara admitted, blushing when she realized what she hinted at. She averted her eyes when Lena’s cheeks colored red. “So um...I’ll show you your office.”

When Lena made a comment about Kara’s energy, she hadn’t even thought about anything sexual. She was simply recalling how alive and energetic Kara always was. Maybe the Duracell rabbits reference wasn’t the best choice, though she couldn’t have known Kara had that kind of comeback. She followed Kara towards the office.

So far she hadn’t been capable of expressing she was considering renting a hotel room. It wasn’t easy to bring it up after how much Elle and Lyn had been gushing about how they were all going to live under one roof and eat together at the same table. She had been at a loss when the girls mentioned they would finally be able to eat as a family without someone missing.

Kara mentally scolded herself for having mentioned something that belonged in the past. How she went from energetic rabbits to sex was kind of unlike her. Not that she was innocent by any means, which Lena knew better than anyone. She wasn’t sure how to behave around Lena exactly. Things weren’t the same as nine years ago. She had to keep reminding herself she was doing all of this for Elle and Lyn’s sake.

The office Kara had been referring to turned out to be a room with a desk, a closet and a white leather loveseat which looked suspiciously new. Lena wondered if Kara went out of her way to buy it for her. The desk was white as well, but it was covered with several stickers, most of them from Disney.

Lena jumped up when a loud sound of something exploding startled her.

“Oh,” Kara whispered, frowning as she held a ruined air mattress. “I might have um… ruined your bed,” she said, helplessly dropping the ruined mattress. “You can take mine tonight. I’ll crash on the couch with the puppies.”

Now Lena definitely didn’t know how to bring up she had no intentions of staying, as was agreed at first. It wasn’t until this moment that she noticed the exhaustion on Kara’s face, which carried through in her voice. She knew Kara was trying to make this strange situation work somehow for their children.

“I’ll have to get a new lamp and a new air mattress, but so far so good,” Kara said with a strained smile while she tried to smile brighter. “Do you want some coffee? I’m going to make coffee. I’ll bring you a cup. Do you still drink yours with a dash of milk and one sugar?”

Lena was perplexed Kara remembered how she liked her coffee, although Kara was always incredibly good at remembering things down to the details. She had to clear her throat a few times until she got her voice to work, responding with a faint and cracked “yes.”

 


	12. Chapter 12

“Bellissimo,” Kara said, kissing her fingers when she was done putting the food onto the table. She smiled at Elle and Lyn who were giggling. “I may have truly outdone myself, preparing this meal for the vegetables of my loins.”

“Fruit,” Lena corrected, holding back a laugh at the strange accent Kara was trying out. She wasn’t sure if Kara was trying to sound Italian, French or something else entirely because all she managed to sound like was like a dork.

Elle and Lyn snickered while they whispered to each other.

“I must say I am impressed,” Lena said to Kara, cursing internally of how she nearly added _darling_. It wasn’t the first time she came close to that slipup and she swore one of these days she was going to slip up completely. “You truly know how to make mac and cheese from a box, and oh look, not a single vegetable for the vegetables of your loins.”

“How rude,” Kara replied, pouting at the way Lena teased her. “I spent hours-”

“It only takes minutes,” Lena pointed out, which the box could confirm.

“Minutes, slaving on making this delicious culinary treat,” Kara said, wiping her forehead with the back of her hand.

“And you didn’t even break a sweat,” Lena replied, smiling because she knew well enough it took Kara a lot to sweat. Kara could work out for hours and not break out a single sweat.

“We love mac and cheese,” Lyn said, licking her lips.

“Aha, points for the chef,” Kara said, puffing out her chest. “Tomorrow, you can cook,” she said to Lena.

“Alright, kale it is,” Lena said, nodding as she looked forward to a healthy freshly made meal.

“And you’re obviously never going to cook,” Kara backtracked, grinning while the twins pretended to gag. She felt bad for Elle and Lyn knowing the torment of kale, the monstrosity how kale was considered food. “Kale is an abomination, a traitor amidst food. Food rhymes with good, which is what food is supposed to be. Kale rhymes with stale, which is not good at all.”

“And sweets rhymes with delete,” Lena quipped. “What’s your point?”

Kara gasped at that. “Sweets rhymes with treats, which is precisely what sweets are, a delicious treat,” she huffed. “Sweets are the crème de la crème.”

Lena smiled slightly at how utterly adorkable Kara was being. God, being around Kara like this brought back treasured memories from the past. They used to have so much fun together before it all fell apart. She knew Kara was being silly to entertain Elle and Lyn, which was appreciated.

Kara had no choice but to sit next to Lena, considering their daughters were sitting next to each other across from them. Not that it mattered whether she sat next to Lena or across from her; it wasn’t as if she had to sit on her lap or anything. In fact, not having to face her during dinner was probably easier.

“So, who won the contest?” Kara asked Elle and Lyn.

“It was a tie,” Elle answered. “We both won because Lyn and I are both winners.”

“Yup, so now we’ll be sharing our dessert, like we always do,” Lyn chimed in.

Lena gave her girls a knowing smile. She knew they were competitive in many ways, but they also knew how to share and she was sure it was a tie on purpose.

“Can we decorate our bedroom Gryffindor style?” Elle asked. “Puh-lease,” she pleased, batting her eyelashes.

“And can we get matching sheets and everything?” Lyn asked, batting her eyelashes too. “Can the daughter of our auntie’s girlfriend sleep over sometime so we can do a Harry Potter movie marathon and play Quidditch? Oh and can we show her our powers?”

“No,” Lena and Kara abruptly said at once, equally panicked.

“No,” Lena repeated, a bit softer this time. “You can’t show anyone your powers,” she said to the girls.

“Okay,” Lyn replied, sighing. “Does this mean you’re saying yes to all the rest?”

Lena chuckled and glanced at Kara. “What do you say, d- to that?” she asked, her heart skipping a beat at catching her slipup a beat too late.

“Umm… yes, sure,” Kara answered, aiming for a casual shrug. “You can decorate your bedroom anyway you like,” she reminded Elle and Lyn. “If you want your bedroom to be Gryffindor style, then that’s what you’ll get,” she said sincerely.

“Our bedroom is going to look so cool,” Elle said, beaming. “Wait until it’s done and we show Ruby,” she said to Lyn, who nodded.

Kara struggled to keep up with Elle and Lyn’s rambling in between bites of their food. If Elle was chewing, Lyn was talking and vice versa. She loved listening to them, even if getting a word in between proved to be challenging.

“Mom, how did you and mam meet before we were born?” Elle asked, looking at Kara.

“Yeah, mom, how?” Lyn chimed in.

“You don’t have to explain if you’re uncomfortable,” Lena said to Kara. She knew their daughters were bound to be curious, but she didn’t want them to overwhelm Kara too much and she knew the past was a sore spot for both of them.

“It’s fine,” Kara assured Lena with a tight smile. “Your mam and I met each other at school,” she said to the girls who were now eating their dinner while listening to her. She had a feeling they wanted to hear a bit more than one line. “Um, err, actually, you tell it much better than I do,” she said to Lena.

Lena saw Elle and Lyn’s eyes snap from Kara to her. She wasn’t sure who told it better because neither one of them had actually told anyone.  Or well, at least she hadn’t. She knew it was an excuse of Kara to let her explain how they met, but she didn’t mind. Kara had already been putting in a lot of effort to make this bearable for all of them.

“One day I was outside with books under one arm and a stack of papers in my other hand. There was quite some wind that day and before I knew what was happening, my papers began to escape me. I chased after them, panicking because I spent hours upon hours working on those papers. Then I saw a cute girl running after my papers as well. She collected my paperwork because she ran faster than I did, but when she went to hand them to me, she tripped and I caught her in my arms.”

Kara’s eyes drifted from Lena to the table. So Lena thought she looked cute back in college. She remembered their first meeting quite well, too. When Lena caught her, she legit didn’t breathe for a solid minute or so because she got lost in her eyes.

“Of course I wanted to thank her for saving my papers for me,” Lena continued, smiling bittersweet at the memory. “We ate pizzas and watched a movie back at my dorm,” she said, without adding the detail she didn’t have a roommate because the girl who was supposed to be her roommate refused to share a dorm with a Luthor. “I was surprised when Kara ate four pizzas and a whole pint of ice cream after that. Her stomach was a bottomless pit. After the movie we talked for the whole night until we fell asleep. I woke up to a living furnace cuddling me. That was the moment I realized I – I made a friend.”

Elle and Lyn shared an excited smile.

“We want to hear when you and mom fell in love with each other,” Lyn said while Elle bopped her head up and down.

“Another time, sweetheart,” Lena replied with a pained smile.

Kara bit her lip. She never knew when Lena fell in love with her all those years ago and she never told her when exactly she fell in love with her either. She wasn’t sure what Lena would think if she would learn she was already in love with her before they became friends with benefits. It wasn’t wise to be friends with benefits with someone she was in love with, but she was so caught up in Lena and when their first time seemed to be a drunken mistake Lena made, who panicked she ruined their friendship, she couldn’t stop herself from saying they could still be friends. Each time they were intimate, she kissed Lena like she meant it, because she did.

Lena almost reached out to brush her thumb along Kara’s bottom lip to stop her from biting down on it, but it wasn’t her place. She knew Kara was thinking and she had a feeling she was thinking about what they used to have. She never should have panicked all those years ago when she had a little too much to drink, slept with Kara and worried she ruined their friendship. If only Kara knew how much she loved her back then.

 

 

* * *

 

 

Elle and Lyn insisted on sitting next to each other to watch a movie because according to them they were inseparable because they were twins. It was all fine, though it meant Kara and Lena had no other choice but to sit next to each other.

“Look, Gryff,” Lyn said to her puppy. “Your friends are on screen.”

“They have funny names,” Elle said, tilting her head as they watched air buddies. “Budderball is like us, he loves food,” she said, giggling.

“A good movie night needs a blanket and… hmm popcorn,” Lyn said. “Mom, can we please have a blanket and popcorn? I would grab a blanket myself, but Gryff is cozy and I don’t want to push him away.”

“Yes, sure,” Kara answered, a little surprised they wanted popcorn instead of ice cream. “I’ll be back in a minute.”

Lena’s eyes flickered down to where Kara’s hand brushed hers briefly as she got up. It wasn’t intentional, she knew that. She looked over at Elle and Lyn, who were engrossed in the movie. Back in Metropolis they often sat next to each other as well, although sometimes they wanted her to sit in the middle. She was almost certain they wanted to sit next to Kara, until they didn’t.

Kara returned with two bowls of popcorn and a blanket stuffed under her arm.

“Here, I got it,” Lena said to Kara while she took the blanket from underneath her arm, folding it open.

“One bowl for you,” Kara said to the twins, handing them a bowl. “And one for m-us,” she said to Lena who raised a knowing eyebrow. She settled herself down next to Lena again and placed the bowl somewhat between them, on top of the blanket.

Lena had to listen to a silent symphony of crunches as Kara, Elle and Lyn munched on popcorn throughout the movie. She was watching the movie while she moved her hand to get some popcorn. Kara must have had the same idea because their hands bumped.

“Oh,” they whispered while both pulling their hand back.

“You can go first, I’ll wa-”

“I should let you have so-”

“It’s alright,” Lena said, putting her hand down on the blanket. This was Kara’s place after all and the popcorn was also hers.

“Say a,” Kara said to Lena.

Lena frowned at Kara. “What?”

“Well, there’s an A in there, so I’ll take it,” Kara replied while she tried to pry Lena’s mouth open again to feed her popcorn. She winced when she tried to push too much popcorn into Lena’s mouth at once, which led to at least two or three pieces of popcorn to fall right between the valley of Lena’s boobs.

Lena’s jaw dropped when Kara moved her hand to grab the pieces, but Kara must have caught herself because she moved her hand away like she got burned. She fished the pieces of popcorn from between her boobs and didn’t say anything, considering it was awkward enough as it was.

Kara leaned forward, her breath tickling Lena’s ear. “Sweets are treats,” she whispered before backing away and stuffing a handful of popcorn into her mouth.

Lena laughed, warm and full, yet she couldn’t shake the dull ache that poked at her chest.

 


	13. Chapter 13

Somewhere halfway through the second movie, which the girls had insisted on watching, Elle and Lyn fell asleep. Bumble and Gryffindog fell asleep along with them, nestled comfortably on the twins’ lap.

Kara put the two – now empty – bowls of popcorn aside. “I’ll carry them to bed,” she whispered to Lena who nodded at her.

She gently scooped Lyn into her arms first, along with Gryffindog, realizing she wasn’t going to share the couch with the puppies, which was both good and bad at the same time. Good because it meant she would have more space and bad because she loved to cuddle and she had looked forward to cuddling with the puppies.

Lyn stirred slightly in Kara’s arms, only to nuzzle closer against her chest.

Kara looked down at Lyn while she carried her up the stairs, floating a bit so she didn’t make the steps creak. She felt ashamed she ever dared to accuse Lena of the twins not being hers. Granted, she was upset and it had gotten the best of her, but still. She didn’t need a DNA test to prove the twins were hers. Lyn reminded her of when she first came to earth, how badly she wanted to be a hero because at the time not using her powers felt like a waste.

She had no doubt Lyn was bound to be a hero someday, she only hoped that day wouldn’t come anytime soon. Her daughter was too young to carry such a weight onto her shoulders. Not that she saw being Supergirl as a burden. No, it was a responsibility. Lyn was only eight and she wished for her daughter to be a child first, to enjoy her youth. She knew how badly most children wanted to grow up, to be adults. She used to wish the same, until she found out how hard it was to be an adult.

Once she put Lyn down in her bedroom, she went downstairs again to scoop Elle into her arms. Her twins were similar in many ways, yet they were two unique people, each with their own personality. Elle was a tad younger than Lyn and she noticed she was softer. Elle didn’t quite have the burning passion to be a hero the way Lyn did. Whereas Lyn was thinking about stopping crime and fighting it, Elle wanted to save the bees and make the world a greener place.

“Sweet dreams, sweethearts,” Kara whispered as she tucked her daughters in. The puppies were sleeping at the twins’ feet. “Khap ukiem rrip,” _(I love you)_ she whispered in her native tongue. She didn’t expect them to be awake even the slightest, didn’t expect them to respond.

“Krep ukiem rrip vo, ieiu,” _(We love you too, mom)_ Elle whispered while she cuddled up against Lyn.

Bless Lena.

Kara felt tears fill her eyes, moved by the fact Lena must have thought them to say that, considering they hadn’t gotten it from her. She had no idea Lena remembered enough of her language to pass any of it on to their daughters. She dried her eyes and took a few deep breaths before going downstairs. It was late, so Lena probably wanted to go to sleep.

Lena was sitting on the couch, slumped against the side, one hand resting under her cheek while she had her eyes closed.

Kara sighed quietly as she observed Lena. While she put the girls to bed, Lena must have fallen asleep. She bit her lip, noticing the blanket had pooled down to the floor.

Lena hoped pretending to be asleep would lead to Kara taking the bed. She already felt like an invader, so there was no need for her to take Kara’s bed. She hoped Kara didn’t plan on carrying her to bed so she could sleep on the couch, like she should.

Kara picked up the blanket and draped it over Lena. There was no way the position Lena was in was comfortable. With some hesitation, she lifted Lena’s legs onto the couch. She contemplated waking her up, but she didn’t have the heart to do that. She could carry Lena with ease, but she didn’t want to jostle her and didn’t want to risk waking her.

Lena felt Kara’s presence like a thick blanket weighing down on her. She didn’t have to open her eyes to know Kara was staring at her. If her heart would speed up again, Kara would find out she was actually awake, unless she played it off as a nightmare, but then Kara would worry.

 

 

* * *

 

 

With a glass of water in her hand, Kara sat down on the armchair close to her couch. She wasn’t able to sleep yet, despite the fact she was tired and hadn’t been sleeping enough. She eyed Lena, plagued by the knowledge Elle and Lyn were kept a secret from her for eight years. If her own daughter hadn’t sought her out, she probably still wouldn’t have had them in her life.

She watched the steady rise and fall of Lena’s chest. A large part of her was upset, rightfully so, but she didn’t have the strength left to be angry. Not that she was ever all that angry to begin with since all of her anger came from a place of pain. Maybe hating Lena would have been easier, but she couldn’t hate her. She had a feeling she was never going to hate Lena, no matter what happened. Her heart stung at the possibility a teensy part of her felt something for Lena.

Lena struggled to continue pretending she was asleep when Kara made adorable slurping noises, and damn why were so many things about Kara adorable where others would say they weren’t? She wondered how long Kara planned on sitting there and watching her. It gave her a feeling she couldn’t place. It wasn’t discomfort or awkwardness, no, it was something else. She wanted Kara to go to sleep to the point where she contemplated revealing she was awake and plead her to go to bed. Then again, begging Kara to go to bed may have sent the wrong signal across.

“I really did love you, once,” Kara whispered, sighing as she sat in the dark, watching the outlines of Lena’s silhouette on the couch. “I used to think I was going to marry you, can you believe that? I don’t have the courage to tell you while you’re awake, that’s why I’m saying this now. It’s kind of crazy isn’t it? How I thought we would be married someday while I had no idea if you were even into me as more than a friend… with benefits. Rao, I hate that term. I hate it because friends with benefits aren’t supposed to have any strings attached. It’s supposed to be meaningless, but it was never meaningless to me, you were never meaningless.”

Lena hoped her heart wouldn’t give away she was awake and heard everything, although she was certain her heart was close to stopping upon hearing Kara’s whispered confession. It was made clear they both had feelings, but she had no idea of the depth of Kara’s feelings, how much they matched her own. All of it was in the past by now, though the memory of those feelings lingered. She hadn’t expected this level of honesty from Kara after everything she did, even if it was whispered like a secret meant to remain a secret.

“It’s even crazier to think that maybe..,” Kara sighed, shaking her head with a silent chuckle.

Lena almost opened her mouth to ask _maybe what?_ Kara didn’t sound as if she was planning on finishing that sentence.

Kara emptied her glass and quietly put it down. She couldn’t leave Lena on the couch all night like that. She didn’t want Lena to wake up in the morning with a knick in her neck. Her couch wasn’t made to sleep on. She smiled bitterly at all the memories from college, how often she carried Lena to her bed after she fell asleep behind her desk or even at the library.

She slid a hand under Lena’s knees and slid the other behind her back. It was easy to lift her into her arms, but she was extra careful, as if was holding the most breakable thing in the world. In a way that wasn’t wrong, considering her grip could easily crush a human if she wasn’t mindful of her strength. Her breath hitched when Lena stirred in her arms and she hoped this wasn’t the moment where she would wake up.

Lena felt like a liar when she snuggled closer against Kara. It was a selfish move of her, wanting to be cradled closer in those strong arms which used to hold her all the time nine years ago. In the past she was Kara’s little spoon because it gave her a secure feeling to be held. She knew Kara was hurting, so it was wrong of her to snuggle closer while she should put distance between them. Her plan to pretend she was asleep so Kara would let her take the couch wasn’t working the way she hoped it would have.

“I don’t know what I’m doing,” Kara whispered while she carried Lena up the stairs. “Having you around isn’t easy, but I don’t know how to not have you around either,” she whispered, feeling somewhat pathetic how she couldn’t even get it over her heart to put the necessary distance between them. “I moved on, you know? I did, I had, but then Lyn showed up on my doorstep, I saw you again and all of our memories flooded right back.”

“When we talked and discovered what Veronica did..,” Kara whispered as she entered her bedroom. “It shed a new light onto everything and made me see things from a different perspective, not that it’s particularly relevant now. What happened can’t be undone. I always felt like you really broke my heart and you did, but I think I also broke yours, more than you’re letting on.”

Lena didn’t move much when Kara put her down on the bed. She missed Kara’s warmth immediately. The sheets Kara was tucking around her didn’t feel the same, not even close. They smelled like Kara though, which was only going to make it all the more difficult to sleep.

“You can stop pretending you’re asleep now,” Kara whispered, which startled Lena into blinking her eyes open. “Your heartbeat betrayed you,” she explained before Lena had the chance to ask. “I’ll be fine on the couch,” she mumbled, about to walk away when Lena caught her wrist.

Lena swallowed thickly as Kara looked down at where her fingers were wrapped around her wrist. “This is your home, you shouldn’t sleep on the couch,” she whispered, sighing. “Can we maybe talk for a while? Please?”

Kara bit her lip and sat down. It wasn’t fair how she couldn’t say no to Lena when she sounded so fragile. “Just a little while,” she answered, wishing breathing wouldn’t be so painful and complicated. She closed her eyes when Lena caressed her back. “Don’t do that.”

 


	14. Chapter 14

Lena retrieved her hand, curling her fingers towards her palm as she did so. She knew she overstepped by caressing Kara’s back and it was a miscalculation to even think for a second the gesture meant to offer comfort would be received well.

Kara scooted to the side to create more distance between them. She tried not to look as if she just heard Lena swallow thickly, even though that was exactly what she heard, loud and clear. It was as if all of her senses were heightened, tuned in more into everything that was Lena. She was hyperaware of the erratic thumping sound of Lena’s heart against her ribcage, of the way she breathed in as if she had a cracked rib and how she breathed out as if the weight of the world rested onto her shoulders.

The darkness of the night stretched around them like a vast canvas with nothing but the moonlight filtering through the half-closed curtains.

Lena’s eyes were glassy as she willed herself not to cry. She was a Luthor; she was raised to rise above emotions, to keep her head above the water even if the water came in strong lapses. It was hard not to struggle with the storm raging inside of her mind. Nine years ago she had Kara to silence that storm with a single word or a single gesture. She couldn’t cry, no matter how much her eyes stung and begged her to let go. Not out of shame, but for Kara’s sake, because she knew her tears would bring her agony.

Kara didn’t mean to cry, not until Lena broke the silence.

“That first night when we got together, I passed it off as a drunken mistake and you, always so sweet and caring, ran along with it,” Lena whispered, gripping the sheets because she was worried if she didn’t hold on to something she would fall apart. “I was too much of a coward to tell you I loved you, how I was in love with you, even. You were my friend and I was petrified my temporary liquid courage ended our friendship. When you told me we could still be friends, I felt equal parts relieved and saddened.”

Kara used her sleeves to wipe at her tears. She may have rubbed her sleeves over her skin a bit too roughly, but she didn’t want to give Lena the opportunity to wipe her tears away for her. Realizing they were both in love with each other well before they became friends with benefits all those years ago sounded like a cruel joke.

“Every time I kissed you, I poured my heart into it,” Lena confessed, wanting Kara to know it wasn’t meaningless for her either. “It killed me inside I didn’t get to wrap my hands around you in public or hold your hand, or how I couldn’t kiss you aside from the times when we were hooking up.”

“I felt the same,” Kara replied quietly. “All those years ago, I tried so hard to color outside the lines, to push the boundaries of being friends with benefits.”

Lena smiled because she noticed that a few times, although each time she passed it off to Kara being friendly. “I remember how you used to split the last cookie to share it with me and there was that time where you left my dorm wearing my shirt,” she whispered, smiling so much it began to hurt.

“I did,” Kara whispered, chuckling silently through her tears. “It had your smell for like a week and I slept with your shirt next to my pillow,” she confessed, which she never told Lena before. “I… I still have that shirt because I never knew how… I couldn’t throw it out,” she whispered, biting her lip as she thought of the things she kept all those years.

Silence fell over them again.

Lena wasn’t sure what she needed most; sleep or a drink. During the nine years she spent moving on, the one thing that was always missing was closure, which she recently received when it became clear what Veronica did. She had her answers why she lived under the knowledge Kara didn’t say goodbye for nine years. Yet she felt like something withheld her from moving on completely or perhaps it was someone rather than something.

Kara remained where she was seated on the edge of the bed. She didn’t move until she was sure Lena fell asleep. Lena had shifted at some point and was lying down, hugging a pillow to her chest. She carefully adjusted the blanket so she wouldn’t get cold during the night. Thankfully, she remembered to put regular sheets onto her bed rather than the weighted ones she tended to use to keep her from floating at night.

Her weighted ones would have been a tad too heavy for Lena to be within the range of what was considered comfortable. She put a weighted one in her daughters’ bedroom earlier. For a split second she considered pressing a small kiss goodnight to Lena’s temple, but that was too intimate. She tiptoed out of her bedroom and flew downstairs where she curled up on the couch.

Her couch really wasn’t meant to sleep on, but it was only for one night and she would probably float while she slept anyway. Tomorrow she could arrange Lena a new bed, a proper one this time, rather than an air mattress she might blow up again. She gazed up at the ceiling, counting the ticks of the clock while she waited for sleep to come. People always said how first love never dies and there was some truth to that, but they also said first love doesn’t last, which was equally true.

 

 

* * *

 

 

“You get the best of both worlds,” Lyn sang at the top of her lungs, holding a ladle in her right hand.

“Chill it out take it slow,” Elle sang while she held a wooden spoon. “Then you rock out the show.”

“You get the best of both worlds,” Lyn and Elle sang together.

Lena chuckled and flipped a pancake. “Mix it all together and you know that it’s the best of both worlds,” she sang with the spatula raised to her lips.

The girls continued to sing and dance while Lena baked pancakes. Every once in a while Lena sang a line when Lyn and Elle gave her an expectant look.

Lena was cooking breakfast while Kara left early to go be Supergirl and save the city once again. She didn’t mind cooking because it gave her a chance to create something healthy. Not that pancakes were healthy, but Elle and Lyn loved pancakes for breakfast, and she remembered Kara was fond of pancakes for breakfast as well.

“I’ll make orange juice,” Elle offered. She dragged a chair to the counter and lined her ingredients up.

“Thank you, sweetie,” Lena said to Elle, smiling at her for helping out. “Lyn, don’t feed the puppies too much,” she warned, noticing how Lyn was over pouring their food into their bowls.

“They’re hungry, mam,” Lyn replied, smiling at Gryffindog and Bumble. “They’re babies so they need a lot of food to grow.”

Lena added a pancake she just finished to the building stack of pancakes. She had been at it for almost an hour, but with three hungry mouths to feed she was nowhere near done cooking.

Kara came home to the twins and Lena singing and dancing in the kitchen. She didn’t give her presence away right away because she enjoyed watching them for a minute or so, seeing how they were having fun. This was something she was getting used to because it had been this way since Lena, Elle and Lyn moved in with her a week ago.

Lena was in the middle of a song when she saw Kara leaning against the doorpost with a smile on her face. She was so surprised she dropped the spatula. “Good morning,” she said, awkwardly crouching down, which was easier said than done in the pencil skirt she was wearing. She should’ve opted for sweatpants or trousers.

Kara’s mouth ran a little dry, seeing Lena’s skirt hike up her skin just an inch or two. “Good moa-morning,” she replied, willing her feet to move. “I can give you a hand,” she offered. “With- with breakfast,” she explained as she reached for the spatula.

Lena’s eyes locked with Kara’s when their fingers touched just as they were both about to pick up the spatula. “That’s kind of you,” she said, retrieving her hand. A blush appeared on her cheeks when _a thousand years_ began to play. She didn’t even know that was on the play list she selected.

 

_Heart beats fast_

_Colors and promises_

_How to be brave_

_How can I love when I'm afraid to fall_

_But watching you stand alone_

_All of my doubt, suddenly goes away somehow_

 

Kara scrambled back up with the spatula, her forehead almost bumping into Lena’s because she wanted to help her up just as Lena moved on her own accord.

“I don’t know how this song…,” Lena said, running her fingers through her hair as she shook her head. “The remote has to be here somewhere.”

“Um…,” Kara said when she saw Gryffindog and Bumble were playing with the remote. “I think I know where it is, but I don’t think we can change the song.”

Lena frowned, wondering how the remote ended up on the floor with the puppies when it was on the table moments ago.

“Slow dance time!” Elle announced with a happy cheer. “May I have this dance, please and thank you?” she asked Lyn, holding a hand out to her.

“Dance accepted,” Lyn answered, grinning as she placed her hand in Elle’s. “Mom, mam, you have to dance, too,” she said, giving them her best pout.

“They’re too scared to dance, Lyn,” Elle said with a deep sigh. “They know we have the best moves and they don’t want to embarrass themselves.”

“You’re probably right,” Lyn agreed, nodding.

“Hey, I have you know I can dance, kind of,” Kara said to the twins.

Lena smiled because Elle and Lyn looked like two penguins waddling around. “Watch and learn, girls,” she said, winking at her daughters. She turned the fire off so the next pancake wouldn’t end up burning.

If Kara would have said anything, she would have stuttered because next thing she knew, Lena took her hand and kissed her knuckles.

“May I have this dance, darling?” Lena asked Kara. She was too late to catch her slipup, so instead she smiled and rolled with it.

Kara didn’t trust her own voice, so she nodded. Okay, there was no maybe now. A part of her definitely still felt something for Lena, even after all this time, after everything. Rao, at this rate she was never fully going to get over Lena.

Lena explained step by step to Elle and Lyn how to properly slow dance.

“Uh huh,” Lyn said with a serious look on her face. “And then what?”

“Aren’t you supposed to stand closer?” Elle commented, frowning at the distance between Kara and Lena. “I saw movies and they always dance close, like super close.”

“Wait a second,” Lena whispered, eyeing her daughters warily while she wondered if they tricked her into slow dancing with Kara, but they appeared so sincere and eager to learn that she wasn’t sure.

“Do you want to see a lift?” Kara asked Elle and Lyn who beamed immediately.

“You have got to be kidding me,” Lena murmured as Kara took several steps back, waiting for her to jump into her arms. She shook her head and ran up to Kara as best as her skirt allowed her to. “Show off,” she whispered, smiling when Kara lifted her effortlessly.

“Ten points!” Lyn shouted, clapping her hands together. “That was awesome!”

“Okay, you can lift,” Elle said to Kara with a sneaky smile. “But can you dip?”

“What is this, dancing on ice?” Kara quietly asked Lena while the twins danced as if they had been dancing their whole lives.

“They tricked us into humiliating ourselves, darling,” Lena replied, sighing at slipping up once again. “I’m sorry,” she whispered when Kara averted her eyes.

“We had a good run while it lasted,” Kara said with a pained smile, and somehow that sounded as if she wasn’t quite talking about dancing.

 


	15. Chapter 15

Pillows spilled all over the floor as Lena emptied handfuls of plastic bags. She wasn’t working this weekend considering she cleared her whole weekend to spend some quality family time with her daughters. Kara wasn’t working either and the girls had been looking forward to it, although she knew it was possible Kara could get called away as Supergirl.

“This is going to be the biggest fort ever,” Elle said with excitement in her voice.

“Can we sleep in the fort tonight?” Lyn asked, glancing between Kara and Lena with big pleading puppy eyes.

“Of course,” Kara answered with a smile. “It wouldn’t be right to build a pillow fort and not sleep in it,” she said with a light huff.

“Definitely not right at all,” Lena agreed, although personally she preferred sleeping in a bed. The bed Kara had gotten for her recently was quite comfortable and she had a feeling it hadn’t been cheap, but Kara had refused to let her pay for it.

“I’m hungry,” Elle said, pouting.

“I’m hungry too,” Lyn chimed in. “See,” she said when her stomach rumbled.

“Ditto that,” Kara said, feeling more than a little hungry as well. “It’s been ages since we’ve eaten, we should definitely go eat something now.”

“Ages,” Lena replied, snorting lightly. “It hasn’t even been an hour.”

“We’re bottomless pits, mam, you know the drill,” Lyn said with a shrug.

“Yes,” Elle pitched in. “If we don’t eat soon we might die.”

“Exactly,” Lyn agreed with Elle. “We need a lot of calories and that stack of sandwiches we devoured didn’t suffice. Surely you don’t want your family to starve?”

“So dramatic,” Lena said with a chuckle.

“Don’t look at me,” Kara said to Lena, holding her hands up. “They didn’t get that from me.”

“Say that again when someone eats your last potsticker,” Lena quipped.

Kara gasped. “That is an unspeakable crime,” she replied with playful drama.

“Grab your coats,” Lena said while she reached for her purse. “We’re going out to eat, my treat.”

“All of us?” Lyn asked Lena. “Mom as well?”

“Yes, all of you,” Lena confirmed.

She wouldn’t take the girls out to eat without Kara because that would be rude and inconsiderate. She was capable of being perfectly civil around Kara for the sake of their daughters and it wasn’t like she held a grudge against her or anything. It was already cleared up Kara never intended to leave nine years ago without saying goodbye. If anything, the only one allowed to hold a grudge was Kara, for having kept the girls a secret from her.

“Hmm,” Kara said, narrowing her eyes at the puppies who were waggling their tails and whose attention seemed to be solely on the pillows on the floor. “Something tells me if we leave Gryff and Bumble alone with the pillows, we’ll come home to a bunch of feathers lying around.”

Lena followed Kara’s line of sight and the puppies did seem a little too eager to be left alone with the pillows. “We could take them with us,” she suggested. “There are some places where they won’t mind, especially not if you tip them right,” she said, pondering how much money she would have to throw around to be allowed to enter a restaurant with the puppies.

“Nonsense,” Kara disagreed, not wanting Lena to unnecessarily pay a lot of money for something like that. “I’ll go put the pillows upstairs and I’ll bring them back downstairs when we come back. All I need is two little helpers.”

Lena held on to the table while Kara, Lyn and Elle rushed around to get the pillows upstairs. She swore they often forgot their speed when they brushed by brought her off balance quickly. It was fine they used their powers a little bit because she couldn’t always tell them not to. So long as they didn’t use their powers outdoors, aside from the nights where they went flying with Kara, it was all good.

 

 

* * *

 

 

“Hey, I um, I’m not staying long,” Alex said seconds after entering her sister’s house. She was a little surprised to find Kara engrossed in a bunch of pillows with Lena and the girls.

“Hey, Alex,” Kara replied, smiling as she took a small break. There was still a lot of work to build a decent fort and she agreed with Lena not to use her speed. “Is everything okay?” she asked, frowning slightly upon seeing her sister’s puzzled look.

“Hm? Yes,” Alex answered, snapping her eyes away from the pillows and blankets. She hadn’t expected to walk into such a domestic moment, though it was nice to see. “Sam and I are wondering if you and Lena would like to join us for drinks next Friday. Sam has a babysitter who could watch Lyn and Elle, plus it would be a nice opportunity for the twins to have a sleepover with Ruby.”

“Yessss!” the twins responded, smiling brightly.

“Oh can we, can we?” Elle asked, puppy eyes and all.

“Drinks,” Lena said slowly, thinking it over. Usually, she only cleared her Friday night from time to time for Lyn and Elle. Hanging out with Alex meant she could pick up her friendship with her again and Sam could be a potential new friend.

“We figured it would be nice to hang out like that and I do need a dance partner when Sam steals a dance with my sister,” Alex explained to Lena with a chuckle. “It was Sam’s idea, since she doesn’t know many people around here yet, but if you’re not interested I’ll explain it to her,” she said, sighing lightly while she glanced between Kara and Lena.

“Oh no, no, I’ll be there,” Kara told her sister. She wasn’t going to reject an invite because she didn’t want Samantha to think she wasn’t interested in bonding or something.

Lena felt all eyes on her. She knew the twins really wanted a sleepover with Ruby and in all fairness she could use a night out. “I accept,” she said to Alex with a polite smile. She had a feeling she was asked along because they probably didn’t want Kara to feel like a third wheel. Either way, it was friendly of them to invite her.

“Great, I’ll let Sam know,” Alex replied, smiling. “I’ll get going, but I’ll see you both next Friday.”

Kara nodded and saw her sister out. “I’m going to make popcorn, who wants some?” she asked, about to dash into the kitchen.

“So we have to build the pillow fort without you?” Lena asked, raising an eyebrow. “You’re frustrated you can’t use your speed, aren’t you?”

“Pfft, what? No,” Kara answered, averting her eyes, but she knew Lena was still watching her. “Maybe,” she half-admitted.

“We’ll help, mom,” Lyn said with a reassuring smile. “Elle and I are the best pillow fort builders, we’ve built lots.”

“But this one is going to be the best ever,” Elle added quickly.

Kara wished she would have been around every other time the girls built a fort. She missed so much and even though she didn’t resent Lena for it, there was always going to be a dull ache due to how much she missed. Maybe she should be angry at Lena, but anger didn’t suit her well and it wasn’t really in her nature to hold a grudge.

“You can do it,” Lena said to Kara, hoping to encourage her a little. “One pillow at a time,” she said, throwing a pillow at Kara. She was certain Kara would catch it, but she didn’t.

The twins snickered when a pillow hit Kara square in her face.

“Did you just…?” Kara asked Lena, eyeing her with surprise.

“I have no idea what you’re talking about, darling,” Lena answered, shrieking when Kara threw two pillows at her. “My hair!” she complained, gasping.

Kara shot forward and tickled Lena, smiling while she heard her scream as she rolled over the pillows. Her stomach felt funny due to how Lena called her darling, but she knew it was a slipup and nothing more. They did say old habits die hard, so she didn’t blame Lena if occasionally an old habit resurfaced.

“Okay, okay, I confess,” Lena shrieked, trying to push Kara’s hands away. “But in my defense, I was trying to hand you the pillow.”

“Pillow fight!” Lyn shouted.

“Look at what you did,” Kara whispered to Lena, tsking lightly, though she was far from annoyed.

During the pillow fight, Lena felt carefree. For a moment, she wasn’t the businesswoman who had to hold a poker face; she was a mother who was having a good time with her family.

“The pillow monster will get you!” Kara shouted, smiling while she chased after Lyn and Elle. “Om nom, nom, nobody can escape from me,” she said, trying an evil laugh.

Lena burst out laughing at how Kara sounded like a cat tripping on catnip.

Lyn and Elle squealed when they got tossed over Kara’s shoulders.

“Oh no, you can’t escape either,” Kara said to Lena, reaching for her as well.

They all fell onto the pillows together, laughing while the puppies occupied themselves with chewing on a pillow.

“It’s a good thing I bought so many,” Lena said, shaking her head. “You two are lucky you’re adorable,” she cooed, petting the cute little puppers.

 

 

* * *

 

 

Lena had definitely never built such a large pillow fort with the twins before. Seeing them and Kara smile made it all worth it. She had taken several pictures to add to her collection, which Kara would receive copies off of course.

Gryff and Bumble were sleeping, curled up against Lyn and Elle who were sleeping on the left side of the fort.

Kara was on the right side of the fort with Lena. She would have let the twins sleep in between them, but they already fell asleep before she could suggest it and she didn’t want to risk waking them or the puppies by scooping them up.

Lena gazed into Kara’s eyes. It had been nine years since they slept next to each other. She hoped her heart wasn’t racing, knowing Kara would hear. It wasn’t easy being this close to Kara when she still felt something for her, somewhere deep down. Kara was the one who got away.

Kara contemplated tearing her gaze away and turning around, but she didn’t want to be rude by turning her back towards Lena. This weekend was nice and it felt good to have a little family of her own, even if the circumstances weren’t ideal.

Lena held her breath when Kara brushed a stray lock of her hair behind her ear. It had fallen in front of her eyes and she would have gotten to it herself if Kara hadn’t beaten her to it.

Kara bit her lip to repress an apology. It was a minor slipup and it wasn’t as if Lena hadn’t been slipping up from time to time. She was scared she would fall in love with Lena all over again because she had a feeling it was possible. All those years ago when she fell in love with Lena, she kept it to herself, fearing she wouldn’t be caught and now she felt that same fear bubble up again.

“I have a feeling our daughters will never forget this weekend,” Lena whispered, almost caressing Kara’s cheek out of reflex.

“Neither will I,” Kara whispered with a small smile. “Goodnight, Lena.”

“Goodnight, da- Kara,” Lena replied quietly. She bit her lip and the look in Kara’s eyes told her she knew she slipped up, but as always Kara was too kind to comment on it. “Sweet dreams,” she whispered, hoping the few inches left between them were enough to not accidentally touch Kara throughout the night.

Kara yawned and closed her eyes. She hoped Lena wouldn’t mind too much if she shifted during her sleep, considering whenever she wasn’t sleeping alone she had a habit of curling up against the nearest body.

The next morning Kara and Lena woke up, practically wrapped up in each other’s arms. Their eyes widened simultaneously. The second thing they realized was that the twins were no longer in the fort and neither were the puppies.

“I didn’t mean-”

“I’m sorry I-”

Lena wasn’t sure if she shifted during the night or if Kara did or if they both did. The fact that they were both trying to apologize for it made her smile.

Kara breathed out in relief upon seeing Lena smile. “The girls,” she said, frowning. She stilled when she smelled food.

“Good morning!” Elle chirped, poking her head inside of the fort. “Stay put, Lyn and I are cooking breakfast.”

“Please don’t burn the kitchen down,” Lena said, wincing slightly because the girls were a little too young to cook without supervision.

“No worries, mam,” Elle replied, her smile ever in place. “Lyn and I took mom’s phone and we called Auntie Alex, she’s helping us make breakfast. Stay here,” she explained before dashing off.

“Oh god,” Lena whispered, rubbing her temples. “I should apologize to Alex.”

“Nah, my sister’s fine,” Kara replied, feeling quite relaxed. “She’s an early bird anyway. We’re getting breakfast without having to put an effort into it and we have this pillow fort all to ourselves.”

“You have a point,” Lena agreed, sighing as she settled in Kara’s waiting arms. She wasn’t sure if this was okay, but she didn’t want to give it more thought than necessary.

Kara trailed her fingertips lightly up and down Lena’s arms. Her heart was thumping in her chest; the very chest Lena’s head was resting on. Maybe they could stay like this for a little while, no questions asked.

 


	16. Chapter 16

The toast crunched under Kara’s teeth. “Mhmm, this is… eh… crunchy,” she said to her daughters, who were looking at her with big curious eyes. The toast which was supposed to be a lovely golden brown looked more like charcoal. It was a good thing she couldn’t get food poisoning.

Meanwhile Lena was eating scrambled eggs that had chocolate mixed in them with whipped cream on top. It was absolutely disgusting, but she knew Lyn and Elle wanted to do something nice. “This is quite special,” she said, licking her lips, though later during the day she would brush her teeth repeatedly to get rid of the taste. “I like it.”

Kara felt jealous for the way Lena’s heart didn’t even betray she was lying. It was unfair how skilled Lena was at lying while she was one of the worst liars. She wanted to compliment the girls, but her body language would betray her lies.

“There’s dessert too,” Elle announced. “So don’t eat too much.”

“Really?” Kara asked, making a face. She was partially relieved she wouldn’t have to eat much of the burned toast, though at the same time she was worried dessert would taste even worse. “I mean, really? Dessert after breakfast? Wow, you’re spoiling us.”

“I have a feeling they’re spoiling themselves,” Lena countered.

“What’s the dessert?” Kara asked, not immediately spotting one, though it was possible they were still planning on making one. If they couldn’t even handle toast or eggs, there was no hope they could make dessert.

“Pizza,” Lyn answered, smiling. “We called to order some because I still felt bad for that time you dropped your pizza when we were flying,” she said to Kara.

“We took mam’s wallet to pay for it,” Elle said.

“You did what now?” Lena asked, perking up. “How many pizzas did you order exactly, sweetie?”

“Um…,” Lyn replied, making a face at Elle, who made a face too. “Two…”

“Okay,” Lena replied, relieved they didn’t go overboard.

“…dozen,” Lyn finished.

“On the bright side, I can definitely eat half of those by myself,” Kara said to Lena. “Um, I mean, what I mean…,” she backtracked when Lena raised an eyebrow at her. “Girls, you can’t just order things and take your mother’s wallet without asking first.”

Lena was pleasantly surprised how quickly Kara came around and saw her point, without her even needing to voice it. “Yes, your mother is right,” she chimed in. “If this happens again you won’t be allowed to fly for a week, not even in the house.”

The twins gasped.

“You’d still let us fly, right, mom?” Elle asked, batting her eyelashes at Kara.

“No, I agree with your mother,” Kara answered, understanding the need for rules. She made the mistake of going against Lena before and she didn’t want to make that mistake again. For good parenting, they had to be a united front, or at least that was one of the things Samantha taught her.

Lena rested her hand on Kara’s leg under the table, squeezing to let her know she appreciated her support in this. She knew Kara was making an effort. It was a relief they weren’t falling into a good cop versus bad cop pattern.

“Hmph, okay,” Elle said, pouting. “We’ll be good.”

“Elle and I can wash the dishes after breakfast to say how sorry we are,” Lyn offered.

“That won’t be necessary,” Kara replied, shaking her head. “I’ll wash the dishes.”

“I’ll help,” Lena offered. “If I wash them, you can dry them and put them away,” she said, considering Kara knew better where everything was supposed to go. This was Kara’s place after all.

“Deal,” Kara agreed, smiling.

Lyn dropped a fork that hadn’t been used yet. “Oops, more dishes,” she said, making a face.

Elle sighed. “We’ll clean our room after breakfast.”

Kara wasn’t going to say anything about the fork Lyn dropped. Accidents happened and that wasn’t something she would punish her daughters for.

“I think that is an excellent idea,” Lena said to the girls. “It’s good to keep a tight ship.”

“Tight ship,” Kara snorted, glancing away when Lena looked at her. “Ahoy matey,” she blurted out despite herself, smiling when Elle and Lyn giggled.

Lena shook her head, smiling. “Dork,” she whispered, happy to hear her daughters giggling. Kara’s silly moments were one of the reasons why she fell in love with her in the past.

 

 

* * *

 

 

“Remember, girls, don’t show your powers,” Lena repeated for the third time in five minutes as they stood in front of Samantha’s door.

“We won’t, mam,” Lyn replied. “Our lips are sealed.”

“Have fun at your sleepover,” Lena said, ruffling their hair despite their complaints she was messing up their hair.

“We will pick you up tomorrow morning,” Kara told the twins.

“There’s no rush,” Elle replied. “Take all the time you need.”

“You should leave us here with our puppies all weekend,” Lyn suggested.

Lena shook her head because that wasn’t the arrangement they made. The babysitter was only going to be around tonight and she couldn’t ask Samantha to let them stay all weekend.

“Perhaps another time, sweethearts,” Kara said with a soft smile. She knocked on the door. “Be good,” she whispered to Elle and Lyn just as Samantha opened the door.

Lena felt slightly nervous while the brief introduction with the babysitter was made. It wasn’t easy leaving her daughters with someone she didn’t know, but she knew she couldn’t always keep them tucked into her side.

In the car on the way to the club, Kara sat in the back with Lena. “It’s going to be okay,” she whispered in her ear, having noticed how Lena’s heart was beating too fast since the moment they left the twins with Ruby and that babysitter.

Lena took a deep breath in, squeezing Kara’s hand. She nodded, breathing out. It was amazing how quickly Kara comforted her without question, without hesitation. This was another reason why she fell in love with her in the past. Her heart stirred a little, thinking how Kara was essentially the same person she fell so madly in love with.

Kara’s eyebrows knitted together when Lena’s heart sounded as if it got caught up in a strange dance that was a mix of multiple dance styles. She decided to stop listening so intensely, smiling as she recalled how Lena used to tell her it was unfair how tuned in she was with everything.

“You look good in that suit,” Alex complimented Lena.

“This old thing?” Lena replied, smiling. “I aimed for casual.”

“That’s definitely not casual,” Alex disagreed. “Sam told me the same thing about her suit.”

“I would use any excuse I can get to wear a suit,” Samantha said. “It’s comfortable and suitable for many occasions.”

“I see what you did there,” Lena said to Samantha, having a feeling she would get along with her.

Alex sighed softly. “I do appreciate the sight of a woman wearing a suit,” she whispered.

Kara silently agreed. Suits were an elegant sight. Samantha wore hers well and so did Lena. She was quiet for most of the car ride, aside from the moment where she apologized to Lena for how Alex sang along with songs on the radio.

“Where are those back vocals at?” Alex asked, glancing over her shoulder. “Come on, Kara, you love singing.”

Kara couldn’t even deny that because she really did enjoy singing.

“Don’t be shy,” Alex said to Lena, when she was the only one left who wasn’t singing yet.

Lena was not shy, not at all. She only ever sang when her daughters roped her into it, but hearing Alex, Samantha and Kara sing at the top of their lungs convinced her to join in. They were being silly and letting it all go, and maybe for one night she should do the same.

“I’m in love with the shape of you!”

“We push and pull like magnets do!”

Kara wiggled her shoulders in an attempt to dance. A while later she found herself dancing at the club.

Lena had two drinks so far, which helped her loosen up a little. She brought her hands up above her head and swayed her hips.

“Yeah, that’s it!” Alex shouted, smiling. “Feel the music!”

Samantha winked at Alex. “Sorry, ladies,” she said to Kara and Lena while she took Alex’s hand. “I need to steal this one for a bit.”

Just like that, their circle wasn’t a circle anymore.

Kara nearly gasped when Lena pressed her back against her front and dropped low before slowly moving back up. “Oh Rao,” she whispered, grateful the music masked her words. She snaked her arms around Lena’s waist and nuzzled her head in the crook of her neck.

Lena inhaled sharply. This felt familiar. She turned around to face Kara, resting her forehead against hers. For a second or two, she thought about kissing her, but that was probably the alcohol talking.

The music and the whole room slowed down as Kara gazed in Lena’s eyes. Being this close to Lena felt surreal and yet here they were. She brought her arms up around Lena’s neck, breathing in her perfume. That cherry red lipstick was lucky to rest on Lena’s lips. Maybe it was the memory or this particular setting that made her want to kiss her, but she quickly shook that thought, reminding herself the first time they kissed in the past, more happened and Lena passed it off as a drunken mistake. Granted, Lena wasn’t drunk now, but she did have a couple of drinks and they weren’t in a place to take risks.

Lena took a step back. “I’m going to get a drink,” she said, not loud enough to be heard above the music, but she knew Kara would hear her regardless, just as a woman tapped Kara on the shoulder.

Kara spun around to look at the stranger who was trying to get her attention. It was a woman with long blonde locks that reached all the way down her back, asking her if she could have this dance with her.

“Any drink will do,” Lena told the bartender. Seeing Kara dance with someone felt like being stabbed with a knife. She felt silly for feeling this way, for feeling jealous. Kara wasn’t hers, but that didn’t make it any easier to see her with someone else.

“Give her a Daiquiri and put it on my tab,” a woman with a lovely accent said to the bartender.

Lena turned her head to the side to have a better look at the woman who just bought her a drink. “Lena,” she told the woman, who had slightly curled wavy brown locks and a cute little nose.

The woman gave Lena a dazzling smile. “Imra,” she provided.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Imra,” Lena said politely, while the bartender placed her drink in front of her. “Thank you,” she said briefly to the bartender.

There was that dazzling smile again. “The pleasure is all mine,” Imra replied. “Are you here with someone?”

“Yes, I’m here with… a few people,” Lena answered, not wanting to address the whole ex thing. “Where are you from?” she asked, intrigued by Imra’s accent.

Kara stopped dancing altogether when she saw Lena had company at the bar. She didn’t blame the woman who asked her to dance for walking away. Dancing with someone while only having eyes for someone else wasn’t an ideal situation by any means. It was rude of her to stare. She had to stop it, but she was hit with the feeling she knew the woman who was sitting near Lena.

Imra sipped from her drink. “Would you believe me if I told you?”

Now Lena was even more intrigued. “Try me,” she answered, not easily surprised these days.

“Imra?”

“Kara?”

Lena blinked twice. “You two know each other?” she asked, eyes shifting between Imra and Kara. If they had a thing at any point, she didn’t want to know.

“We were pursued by the same man and we both turned him down,” Imra explained. “Are you two…?” she asked, gesturing between Kara and Lena.

“Yes and no,” Kara answered at the same time Lena said, “it’s complicated.”

 


	17. Chapter 17

It had been a tiring week for Lena. She worked pretty much non-stop to catch up on paperwork, considering she completely splurged during the weekend. Unfortunately, she wasn’t productive on Monday either, due to a hangover after she had agreed to join Imra and Kara for drinks on Sunday night, while Alex watched the twins. Somewhere during it all, she forgot they couldn’t get drunk from drinking regular alcohol and they forgot she couldn’t hold her liquor the way they could. In the end it was her own fault for ignoring her limits.

Learning Imra was an alien who was technically from the future gave her quite a whiplash. It did explain her accent, which was pretty. Apparently Imra and Kara vaguely knew each other, and they were acquaintances, bordering on friends. She felt slightly jealous they knew each other and also a bit selfish for wanting a friend that was just hers.

She needed to look for her own place, but with all the work she had to do, she hardly had the time to get to it. Of course she also needed to put time aside for Elle and Lyn, who were more important than her work.

Every few minutes, she yawned while she worked through her paperwork behind her desk in her study in Kara’s house. It was getting late, she knew that, but this paperwork wasn’t going to do itself. After an embarrassing long yawn, she decided to take a break for five minutes.

She curled up on the loveseat and closed her eyes. Five minutes that was all. Then she would get back to work.

Two hours later, Kara found Lena sleeping on the loveseat. She winced, imagining that wasn’t comfortable at all. The loveseat wasn’t made to sleep on.

It was a little past midnight and Kara had already put Elle and Lyn to bed. The puppies fell asleep on the couch, where they were cuddled up with her while she watched a movie. When the movie finished she had decided to check up on Lena and ask if she wanted some coffee or something to eat.

She scooped Lena into her arms and carried her to bed, tucking her in. Lena looked so peaceful and relaxed. She noticed papers spread out all over the desk, papers she knew Lena had been working on. Maybe Lena would want to be woken up, but she didn’t have the heart to do that, not when Lena was finally getting some sleep, even if she didn’t plan on it.

Kara added a second blanket, in case Lena would get cold. She sat at the foot of her bed, watching the rise and fall of her chest. There was no way she was going to wake her up, not even if Lena slept until noon.

“Sweet dreams,” Kara whispered, pressing a kiss to Lena’s temple.

Maybe she shouldn’t have done that, but she couldn’t resist. Lena didn’t know anyway, she was fast asleep.

The next morning Lena woke up, stretching her arms as she yawned. Giving herself time to wake up properly went out of the window when she jumped up, realizing she must have fallen asleep. She set one foot out of the bed and frowned. Bed? When did she get in bed?

“Kara,” Lena whispered, sighing quietly. Of course Kara must have moved her.

Lena found Kara at her desk with her head resting on it, fast asleep. She smiled, seeing how Kara drooled a little bit on the sleeve of her pajama. What a dork.

The paperwork was stacked in two piles, one large pile and a noticeably much smaller pile. Lena skimmed through it, finding must of her paperwork was done and it wasn’t by her own hands.

“Oh, Kara,” she whispered, unsure what to make of the fact Kara finished most of her paperwork for her. “You always had such a good heart, you still do. It’s why I-” She cut herself off, smiling as she shook her head.

Lena would carry Kara to bed, but she didn’t have that kind of strength and trying would result in waking her. Instead, she eased a pillow under her head and went to the kitchen to prepare breakfast before the cavalry would wake up.

 

 

* * *

 

 

“Bumble, come back here, you sneaky ball of fur.”

Elle giggled as Bumble ran off with a piece of bacon.

“Oh, you think that’s funny?” Lena asked, far from amused, though she didn’t sound angry in the slightest.

“Um… that depends,” Elle answered, putting her hands behind her back, shuffling her feet. “What happens when I say yes and what happens when I say no?”

“Either way, that piece of bacon was one of your pieces,” Lena replied, smiling as Elle’s jaw dropped.

Elle crossed her arms over her chest. “Not fair,” she mumbled, pouting.

“I think he’s enjoying it very much,” Lyn said, smiling. “Aww, he’s wiggling his tail. We should give Gryffindog some bacon too.”

“Absolutely not,” Lena disagreed. “They have their own food.”

“But if Bumble gets some, he should get some too,” Lyn argued. “You could give him Elle’s other piece of bacon.”

“Hey!” Elle objected. “We should give him all of your bacon.”

“Nu-uh, yours.”

“Yours.”

Lena put her spatula down when the twins began to push each other and pull each other’s hair. “Karalyn and Noelle Luthor-Danvers, stop-” She frowned when her daughters instantly fell silent. Granted, she wanted them to stop fighting each other, but it was a first for them to cut it out before she could even finish her sentence.

“I’m here, I’m – ouch,” Kara said as she tripped over her own feet and knocked head first into the table. “I’m okay,” she said, rubbing her forehead while she got up. “You needed me?”

Lena gaped at Kara, who must have knocked her head quite hard because she was bleeding. She knew Kara would heal fast, but it was concerning nonetheless. “Pardon, what?”

“I heard you say Danvers,” Kara clarified. It was confusing Lena was confused because if anyone was confused, it was her. Lena didn’t have a habit of calling her Danvers, unless this was a new thing.

“I didn’t,” Lena went to say, but then it struck her. The twins, of course, that was why they stopped so abruptly. “I did say Danvers,” she admitted. “To Lyn and Elle,” she added.

“I like the sound of that,” Elle said, sticking both of her thumbs up. “Noelle Luthor-Danvers,” she said, puffing her chest out.

“Karalyn Luthor-Danvers-Zor-El,” Lyn said, smiling at her sister who was now adding Zor-El as well.

Lena felt an oncoming headache when the twins excitedly rambled different orders of using their last names. It was her fault for slipping up, although seeing Kara smile like she was about to cry tears of joy made it all worth it.

“Noelle Zor-El,” Lyn said to Elle, giggling. “That rhymes.”

“I like rhymes,” Elle stated. “I want to be a Zor-El.”

Kara opened her mouth to say something, but then thought better of it. She didn’t want to risk saying the wrong thing and sounding as if she wanted to erase the Luthor name. It was okay if her daughters’ last name was Luthor, there was no shame in that.

“You already are a Zor-El, sweetheart,” Lena told Elle. “And so are you,” she said to Lyn. “You’re both very special.”

“Your mother is right,” Kara readily agreed.

“We want to hear more about our heritage,” Lyn pleaded. “Please, mom.”

While the twins listened to Kara’s tales of Krypton, Lena found herself occupied chasing after Bumble and Gryffindog who had managed to steal even more bacon.

 

 

* * *

 

 

“Yes, Jess, you may send her in,” Lena said before releasing the button of her intercom.

The intercom crackled a little. “Are you certain, Miss Luthor?” Jess asked. “I can call security.”

Lena pushed the button to respond. “That won’t be necessary. We are acquaintanced with one another.”

Lena put her paperwork aside when the door opened.

“Carry a gun and suddenly I’m an assassin.”

Lena chuckled dryly. “You’d be surprised how many people would hire someone to assassinate me,” she replied, not in the least bit surprised. “My secretary is…”

“Paranoid?”

“Protective,” Lena said, pushing her chair back. “Would you like a glass of water or a cup of coffee perhaps?”

“So this is you as a businesswoman,” Imra said, smiling, sitting down on the couch once Lena gestured at it. “I must say I’m impressed, and a glass of water is fine, thank you.”

Lena could see why Jess was concerned Imra may have been a hired gun. Imra was wearing a black suit and was visibly armed. She poured two glasses of water and sat down on the couch, offering one glass to Imra.

“To what do I owe the pleasure of your visit?”

“I’m here as a friend, not as a client,” Imra said, sipping from her water. “How old are your daughters?”

“Kara,” Lena whispered, putting her glass down.

“Yes,” Imra confirmed. “And you have a photograph of them on your desk.”

Lena twisted her head to look at her desk. “You have a good eye then,” she replied, intrigued Imra picked that up so fast.

“Kara didn’t tell me much,” Imra assured Lena. “How are they?”

“A handful, but they are good children,” Lena answered, smiling as she thought about her twins. “Only eight years old and they already take so much after their mother.”

“I was wondering if you are free to have lunch Friday. It would be an opportunity for us to get to know each other better, if you’d like, strictly as friends, of course.”

“Friday should work for me, I’ll check my agenda to make certain,” Lena replied while she got up to do just that. “You mentioned you are asking as a friend,” she said, checking her agenda.

“It’s quite simple. You are spoken for and so am I, as of recent. Shall we drop the formalities now?”

The one thing that was dropping for certain was Lena’s agenda. Her agenda wasn’t on the floor for long when Imra put it back in place, using her telekinetic abilities.

“There must be a misunderstanding, you see, I am not spoken for,” Lena said, once she shook herself out of her stupor. “Kara and I are not together,” she said, pinching the bridge of her nose as she sighed. “Is it that obvious that I…” She couldn’t finish that sentence, fearing that saying those words would gave them more power and in turn more truth, and false hope for what was long lost.

 


	18. Chapter 18

The tips of Lena’s hair moved upwards while her laptop acted up. Imra left her office roughly an hour ago and at this rate she wasn’t going to get much work done for the day, but staying late wasn’t an option, she promised her daughters she would be back for dinner.

“I know you’re here,” Lena said, closing her laptop.

One of the lamps broke into pieces. “My bad,” Livewire said, just as she appeared. “I recharged and I feel great.”

“To what do I owe this… visit?”

“Geez, can you sound any more bummed out to see me?” Livewire scoffed. “So, you’ve moved around a little, huh?”

“It appears so,” Lena answered, taking a seat on her couch. She gestured at the other end of her couch for Livewire to sit. “Are you keeping tabs on me?”

“Eh, kinda,” Livewire shrugged, sitting back on the couch with her arms stretched out, taking up as much space as she could.

“I thought I wouldn’t see you anymore,” Lena confessed, because it had been a while without contact with her.

“Separation anxiety hitting you hard lately?” Livewire asked, but her tone missed her usual tease or scoff. “Maybe I missed you, Lena. Believe it or not, I don’t have many friends either.”

“Oh, you’re telling me people don’t appreciate you making it look as if you’re abducting them when you meet someone for the first time?”

Livewire huffed out a laugh. “Who was that pretty thing leaving your office a while back?”

Lena’s eyebrows shot up before a smile appeared on her face.

“You’re gay, I’m gay. Cat’s out of the bag, now what’s her name?”

“I’ll have to disappoint you, she is seeing someone,” Lena said, not surprised her words caused Livewire to groan. She thought about Alex, who knew her fair share of women who were into women. “Say, how would you feel about going out with an agent?” 

Livewire scoffed. “You want to set me up with one of those black ops?” she replied, shaking her head. “I have a newsflash for you, they don’t like me and it turns out I don’t like them either. Don’t you love it when things work out like that?”

“Did you come here for me or to interrogate me about Imra?”

“I’d say a bit of both,” Livewire answered as she got up. “Where’s your secret stash? I need a beer.”

Lena sat back while Livewire searched through her office. She figured it was only a matter of time before her unique friend would realize she didn’t have any alcohol. “That has a force field,” she said when Livewire was checking out a vault. “I wouldn’t-”

Livewire snapped her hand back. “Awesome,” she said, laughing.

Lena noticed Kara landing on her balcony, clad as Supergirl, and the second Kara saw Livewire, she looked far from happy.

“If it isn’t blondie,” Livewire said with a snickering tone. “I’m guessing you didn’t bring me a beer.”

“Livewire,” Kara said, narrowing her eyes at her old nemesis.

“I’ll see you later, Lee,” Livewire called out, adding a wink.

Just like that, Livewire left.

Kara placed her hands on her hips. “You and Livewire are friends??” she asked, baffled and confused.

Lena flattened her palms on the couch, slowly rising. She walked up to Kara until there were hardly three inches left between them. “That is correct,” she confirmed, tilting her chin up a little. “Do you have a problem with that?”

“Yes!” Kara answered without thinking. “Maybe I do. I don’t know if you noticed, but Livewire and I don’t get along.”

“Oh, are you saying I can’t be friends with her because you aren’t? Am I not allowed to have a friend who is not a friend of yours?”

“Of course you can have a friend, Lena,” Kara replied, throwing her hands up. “You can have as many friends as you’d like, thousands if you want, but Livewire is dangerous and I don’t like you hanging out with her.”

Lena’s eyes hardened. “I do not need your permission to spend time with someone, Kara,” she calmly pointed out, despite the fire that began raging inside of her. “She is my friend and I am perfectly capable of forming my own opinion.”

“Your opinion is flawed,” Kara blurted out. “I just want you to be careful, that’s all.”

“What happened to the person who always chose to see the best in everyone, even if nobody else did? It was one of your most attract-” Lena stopped talking. She didn’t want to stand here and argue for another second. “I want you to leave my office.”

Kara faltered a step, seeing how Lena averted her eyes, how hurt she sounded. “I… I came here to check if you’ve eaten something.”

“Kara,” Lena said sternly, steeling her feelings as she looked her in the eye. “Leave. Now. If I need to repeat myself again, I will call security to escort you out.”

With a brush of wind, Kara was gone.

Lena poured a glass of water, wishing for a split second she had alcohol. She didn’t expect Kara to react the way she did, simply because she was friends with Livewire. Their friendship was still early and of course she knew Livewire wasn’t a saint, but she knew better than to judge a book by its cover. People were capable of changing and the first time she met Livewire, Livewire looked out for her.

Kara had no right to barge in. Surely, Kara shared a history with Livewire, but the past was gone. Kara didn’t know Livewire the way Lena had gotten to know her. She wasn’t pleased with Kara implying she couldn’t be friends with Livewire purely because she wasn’t. No matter how much Kara tried to excuse her words or rephrase them, that was the main point of it all.

Later during the day, Lena sat around the table and asked the twins about their day. Not a word was exchanged between Lena and Kara.

 

 

* * *

 

 

Kara tossed the short brick wall onto the floor of the training room at the DEO.

“Now can I punch something, mom?” Lyn whined.

“Almost,” Kara answered, gathering a few more items. “There, that should do it,” she whispered, nodding as she glanced at the short brick wall, the wooden planks and the boxing bag.

“Iiiiiii,” Elle squealed, running in place. “This is so exciting. I want to go first.”

“Hmmpf, okay,” Lyn said, letting her shoulders sag.

“We’ll start small,” Kara decided. She wasn’t certain how strong her daughters were and she didn’t want them to punch the brick wall, risking breaking their hands. “Elle, you can give that boxing bag a try.”

Elle curled her fingers into a tight fist.

Kara knelt down behind Elle. “Not like that,” she said, gently grasping her daughter’s thumb. “Like this. If you tuck your thumb under your fingers, you could break your hand when hitting something hard.”

“Hurry up, Elle,” Lyn said.

Kara chuckled. “There is no need to rush, sweetheart, we have all day,” she reminded her daughter.

Elle punched the boxing bag. It got loose and smacked against the wall. “Oops,” she whispered, making a face. “Is J’onn going to be mad at me now?”

“No, baby, of course not,” Kara answered, stroking Elle’s hair. “That was really good.”

Elle’s face lit up.

“My turn,” Lyn said, already balling her fists. “Can I punch one of those planks?”

“You can, but be careful,” Kara answered, holding her breath.

“You don’t have to worry, mom,” Lyn replied, smiling as she punched the plank, snapping it in half. “See,” she said, holding her hands up for Kara to see, “not even a scratch or a splinter.”

Kara knew Lyn was okay, but she inspected her hands nonetheless to make absolutely sure she wasn’t harmed in the slightest.

“I’m going to punch that wall,” Elle said, puffing her chest out.

“Me too,” Lyn chimed in, running after her sister.

“Girls-” Kara didn’t get further than that.

Elle and Lyn sank to their knees, hands clutched over their ears as they cried out in agony.

Kara had to clutch her hands over her ears as well, but this wasn’t the first time for her, so she managed to shake it off rather quickly. She glanced at the entrance, where Psi was rubbing her head. There were people in the near distance who were screaming, agents who were affected as well.

“Psi, what are you doing?” Kara asked, looking at Psi with a mixture of confusion and hurt, thinking how Psi worked for the DEO and shouldn’t be attacking people. “What have you done?”

“I can’t control it,” Psi answered, wincing. “My head hurts. I’m sorry.”

An invisible fist squeezed Kara’s heart, hearing her daughters cry and seeing them crippled by fear.

 

 

* * *

 

 

“How could you, Kara?” Lena asked, lashing out, no longer having the energy to contain her anger, fueled by hurt.

“I didn’t mean for our daughters to get hurt,” Kara answered, swallowing her tears down. “It was an accident that wasn’t supposed to happen. I know I had the responsibility to protect them and if I could protect them from this, I would.”

“You were supposed to watch them today,” Lena pointed out. “What you weren’t supposed to do, however, was take them to the DEO. I’m not okay with you taking them there.”

Kara felt at a loss. The DEO was supposed to be a safe space where she could help Elle and Lyn to improve their powers, a place where they could be themselves without being seen.

“I know you are their mother, but so am I,” Lena continued, tearing up. “Do you have any idea what it feels like to come home to find Elle and Lyn paralyzed by fear?” she asked, looking over at their girls who were shaking and crying.

Kara stared at the floor. It had been seven hours and she hadn’t been able to get a grasp on the twins. “I was there when it happened,” she whispered, lifting her head up, meeting Lena’s gaze.

Lena didn’t know what to think anymore as she looked into Kara’s wet, blue eyes. Kara went too far by taking the twins to the DEO without her permission and without her knowledge. “I trusted you to watch over them and look where that got me,” she said, pointing at their daughters.

“I know you’re upset, but so am I,” Kara replied, wiping her tears away. “Do you think I wanted any of this?”

Lena was indeed upset. She got upset with herself, realizing fighting Kara wasn’t helping their girls. She turned to the twins, wrapping her arms around them. “My little angels, you’re safe. You’re safe here, with me. Nothing can harm you here,” she said, stroking their hair.

Kara joined Lena. “What you’re seeing isn’t real, it’s just a bad dream,” she said to Elle and Lyn. “You’re safe now, you’re home.”

“None of this would have happened if they never-” Lena closed her mouth.

“If they never what?” Kara asked, eyes brimming with tears. She already knew the answer, knew Lena wanted to say this wouldn’t have happened if she had never met the girls. If she hadn’t known about their existence, they never would have set foot in the DEO and ended up crippled by fear.

“Nothing in the world is more important to me than my girls,” Lena whispered. “Seeing them hurt like this…I can’t,” she whispered, voice breaking, barely able to breathe. “And then I look at you, knowing you caused this. I want to blame you for going behind my back, taking them there, but the only person I blame is myself because I shouldn’t have trusted you.”

Aside from blaming herself, Lena hated herself for the tears she brought to Kara’s eyes, hated how she wanted to dry her eyes, hold her and tell her everything was going to be okay, because none of this was even remotely okay.

 


	19. Chapter 19

“I saw…,” Lyn whispered, pausing to take a breath. Tear tracks were visible on her cheeks. She had an iron grip on one of Kara’s hands and another on one of Lena’s hands.

Kara knew Lena had to be uncomfortable with such a tight grip, but to her credit she didn’t even wince.

Lena used her free hand to caress Lyn’s cheek. Her heart ached, wanting to take her daughters’ pain away. The fact they had to give Elle a sedative because her cries and whimpers turned into screams made her heart bleed. Lyn seemed to have snapped out of it, but it was clear she was shaken up.

Lyn bit her lip.

Kara caught a tear that spilled from Lyn’s eyes. “You’re okay, sweetheart, you’re safe,” she whispered, softly squeezing her hand.

“You died, you all did,” Lyn whimpered. A sob tore from her throat. “I saw you die, mom. I couldn’t hear your heart anymore and there was blood everywhere. You died too, mam. Some-someone,” she hiccupped, crying. “Someone pushed you from your balcony and I-I wasn’t… I wasn’t fast enough. I tried, but you were so far away and then you hit the ground and- and I lost you.”

Lena fought back tears, knowing that right now, her daughter needed her. “I’m right here, my angel,” she whispered softly. “Can you hear my heart?”

Lyn nodded and her grip tightened.

“That’s good, take a deep breath,” Lena whispered, keeping her heartbeat as steady as she could.

“I saw Elle die too,” Lyn whispered, her voice cracking as more tears flowed freely from her eyes. “I couldn’t protect her. You all died, everyone did, Auntie Alex, Samantha, Ruby, everyone. I was alone and scared, and I wanted to be strong, but I couldn’t. I tho-thought it wa-was real.”

Lena hugged Lyn, ignoring all the bruises she would have due to the too strong grip her daughter had on her. Lyn could break her ribs and she still wouldn’t let go.

Kara placed her arms around Lyn as well, even if it must have been a bit strange to form a sandwich like that with Lena, given things were tense between them. Right now all that mattered was their daughter. “It wasn’t real, the things you saw didn’t happen,” she whispered, reassuring Lyn over and over again she was safe now.

She knew being affected by Psi’s powers made people experience their worst fears. The last time Psi’s powers hit her hard, she saw Krypton die all over again. It was horrible and it took her a couple of hours to snap out of it. She hated the fact her daughters suffered, on her watch nonetheless. Everyone at the DEO suffered for a while, but Elle and Lyn were just children who were nowhere near prepared for what hit them.

Later that night Lena fell asleep with the twins curled up in her arms.

Kara tucked them in and sat down on a chair, watching over them the whole night. Every once in a while, her eyes stung a little because she wasn’t blinking enough, didn’t want to take her eyes off of them for even a fraction of a second.

 

 

* * *

 

 

“Shhh, be quiet,” Lyn whispered. “Don’t drop her legs or she might wake up.”

“I’m not going to drop her,” Elle whispered. “She’s not heavy.”

Kara opened her eyes more, frowning as her whispering twins walked into her bedroom with Lena. Lyn was carrying Lena by her arms and Elle by her legs, which was a sight she didn’t think she would ever see.

“Girls?” Kara asked in a whisper. “What are you doing?”

Elle and Lyn huffed as they hoisted Lena onto the bed before crawling in as well.

“We can’t sleep,” Elle whispered with a quivering lip. “We need to be close to you and mam.”

“Please, mom,” Lyn pleaded, voice trembling. “For one night, that’s all we ask.”

Kara heard how fast Elle and Lyn’s heart was beating. She knew they were scared and after everything they saw, she understood why. It was only the second night since the incident occurred. “Okay,” she relented, assuming Lena would understand as well and would be okay with it. She didn’t want to wake Lena up to ask her thoughts on this. “You two can sleep in the middle.”

Elle clasped her arms around Kara’s neck, so tight Kara felt like Elle was trying to suffocate her.

“I’m scared,” Elle whispered, her voice smaller than ever before. “Don’t let go, mom.”

Kara caressed Elle’s back, knowing she saw everyone die too, including all animals. “You’re safe now,” she whispered, kissing the crown of her daughter’s head. “I’m never going to let go. I’ll always be here for you and your sister, I promise.”

Elle’s chest heaved against Kara’s.

Bumble and Gryffindog sneaked into Kara’s bedroom. They jumped on the bed, nestling themselves at their feet.

Kara sang a lullaby from her youth, repeating it until Elle and Lyn fell asleep.

Lena woke up in the middle of the night. She saw Elle was curled up against Kara, with her small fingers gripping her shirt. Lyn had one arm looped around Elle and a hold on her shirt with the other. In this moment it hit her how young and vulnerable her daughters were. She didn’t know how she ended up in Kara’s bed, but one glance was enough to know Elle and Lyn needed this, so she stayed put.

 

 

* * *

 

 

“I didn’t react well when I saw Livewire in her office, because I was worried Lena could be in danger.”

“Your old nemesis,” Alex remembered.

“Lena confirmed they are friends,” Kara said as she gripped her glass, making sure not to break it. “And then I kind of went off on her and I basically implied she can’t be friends with Livewire.”

“It’s been a while since Livewire caused any trouble,” Alex pointed out. “As far as the DEO is aware, she’s not someone we should be chasing.”

“I know I just…So many people don’t have good intentions and I’m worried Livewire would use Lena or that she would get close to the twins somehow and hurt them.”

“What happened to my sister who insisted on seeing the best in everyone even when others didn’t?”

Kara drank from her club soda. She knew her sister had a point. It was quite unlike her to judge someone like that.

“I know you worry about her, but you also need to trust Lena is capable of making her own decisions and choosing who she wants to hang out with,” Alex said. “Psi used to be a lot worse than Livewire and she works for the DEO now.”

“That’s true,” Kara admitted, sighing. “I wasn’t thinking. It was strange seeing Livewire there, discovering they’re… friends.”

“Luthors can have friends.”

“Of course, that’s not what I-” Kara stopped talking, because maybe that was kind of what it was. Deep down she was worried people would only befriend a Luthor for the wrong reasons. “I wasn’t listening to her and it took me a while to realize how controlling I must have sounded. She tried telling me she doesn’t need my permission as to who she chooses to be friends with and she’s right.”

“In the heat of the moment, people tend to say things they don’t necessarily mean,” Alex replied, reaching out to take Kara’s hand. “It’s a part of what makes us human.”

“I should give Livewire a chance,” Kara decided. “Everything is tense enough as it is. After what happened to the girls…I feel guilty because if I hadn’t taken them to the DEO, they wouldn’t have gotten hurt.”

“Kara,” Alex said softly, squeezing her sister’s hand. “Although I agree to some extent that you shouldn’t have brought Elle and Lyn to the DEO without Lena’s knowledge, accidents can happen anywhere. For all you know, if you did ask she might have said yes and that wouldn’t have changed much, aside from the fact that you would both feel guilty.”

Kara gently squeezed her sister’s hand back. “I’m doing this all wrong,” she said with a bitter chuckle. She had to deal with the repercussions of her mistakes, whether she liked it or not.

 

 

* * *

 

 

Lena took a seat, about ten minutes late for her lunch appointment with Imra. It was unlike her to be late, given she was ever so punctual, but with everything going on, she was quite distracted and struggled to concentrate. Earlier today she dropped off Elle and Lyn at Samantha’s place, who had kindly offered to babysit them and suggested they could play with Ruby.

“Lena,” Imra said with a sweet smile. “For a moment I was worried you were consumed by your paperwork too much to make an appearance.”

“I apologize for being late, I assure you I am usually more punctual than this,” Lena replied while she scooted her chair a bit more under the table. “I’ll pay for lunch, to make up for it.”

“Don’t be silly,” Imra chuckled. “I invited you, I’ll pay.”

Lena had no idea why Imra seemed so persistent on paying for things. It was a strange concept to her to have someone else pay all the time, considering how much money she had.

“I owe you an apology,” Imra said, once they ordered. “My girlfriend occasionally suffers from migraines. She has medication, which helps, but recently she had a severe migraine attack and she lost control over her powers. Both of us feel terrible for what happened to Elle and Lyn.”

Lena took a deep breath, recalling vividly how badly affected her daughters were. “I know it was an accident, but as a mother, it is a bitter pill to swallow and I fear I made a mistake,” she said, feeling like the worst person in the world. “I held Kara accountable for it and I said awful things to her.”

“I can’t relate to being a mother, though I know how it feels to care deeply about someone. Kara was quite amazing during the incident. She was the only person present, not affected by Psi’s powers. She helped everyone to snap out of it, but those poor girls…They wouldn’t stop screaming and crying.”

Lena swallowed, hard, finding it painful knowing how much Elle and Lyn suffered. “Kara has always been strong,” she said, fingers shaking slightly.

“I never thought I would live to see the day the girl of steel broke down,” Imra said, casting her eyes down for a second before snapping them back up.

Lena’s heart pretty much stopped beating. “Kara broke down?” she asked, but before Imra could answer, she said, “I’m a monster.”

“You are not a monster, Lena,” Imra disagreed, shaking her head.

“No, you don’t understand, I am,” Lena replied, feeling even worse now. “I took everything out on Kara. I was upset, worried, scared, angry, and I aimed all of that at her. The things I said to her,” she said, shaking her head, “I was wrong.”

“None of us are perfect, we all make mistakes,” Imra said, calm and collected. “I think you should talk to Kara, you two have unresolved issues.”

Lena nodded. Imra was right. She had to talk to Kara, talk things out. Not for her own sake, but for the girls and for Kara. She reacted far too harshly to what happened and if Kara had asked her permission to go to the DEO, it still would have happened.

“I fell in love with Kara when we were younger,” Lena shared, absentmindedly tracing her fingertip around the rim of her glass. “I love her for her good heart and her quirks are adorable,” she said, smiling. Her smile faltered when it struck her she misspoke as she saw the twinkle in Imra’s eyes.

“Would it be helpful if I would tell you it’s obvious you still love her?”

“No, not helpful at all.”

“Then I didn’t say that,” Imra said, smiling when Lena chuckled.

Lena did still love Kara, but that didn’t mean they would ever wind up together in a romantic way, or in any way. “I feel as if I am nine years too late to let her know how I feel,” she said, although even the thought of ever telling Kara was scary. “I missed my opportunity to tell her back then. The moment she moved away, I knew it was too late.”

Imra opened a bottle of wine that was resting on their table. “Remind me where you live again?” she asked, pouring a glass. She put the bottle down, sipping from her glass while she raised an eyebrow. “Or rather whom you live with?” she rephrased. “Fear cannot cage us unless we let it, Lena.”

 


	20. Chapter 20

“We need to talk,” Lena said while Kara asked, “Can we talk?”

Lena smiled faintly, feeling somewhat relieved they were on the same page. She gestured wordlessly at the couch, to which Kara nodded. She didn’t plan on coming home early, but she took the rest of the day off since this couldn’t wait.

Kara, clad in her super suit, sat down next to Lena, leaving only a small space between them. “I’m sorry for what I said about your friendship with Livewire,” she apologized, having needed to get that out. “The way I reacted wasn’t right and wasn’t the best way to show how I just want to protect my family.”

Lena acknowledged Kara’s apology with a nod. “I’m sorry, too, for what I said after the incident with Psi,” she said, resting her hands in her lap. “I was upset and stressed, and I took it out on you, which I shouldn’t have.”

Kara was able to tell just how upset Lena was that day, as was she. “Did I lose your trust?”

“No, you haven’t,” Lena answered, sighing quietly. “The truth is if you asked my permission to take them to the DEO, I would have given it to you.”

“I should have asked,” Kara admitted. “You deserved to know where they were.”

Lena was glad Kara understood it wasn’t okay to randomly take the twins all the way there. “I would have given you permission and the accident would have happened regardless,” she continued. “It wasn’t your fault. Neither one of us can foresee something like that happening.”

Kara bit her lip, still feeling guilty about it, despite being told it wasn’t her fault. “I want to give Livewire a chance. I shouldn’t have judged her based upon a few wrongs. She’s your friend and I’m happy you have a friend,” she said, smiling softly because she meant it.

“I considered taking some distance. It may be something we both need,” Lena confessed.

Kara closed her eyes for a second before reopening them. “Are you moving out?” she asked, agreeing a little, but at the same time the idea of Lena leaving was unbearable.

Lena gazed into Kara’s eyes, which were wet again and she found herself having the same thoughts she had before, thoughts about wanting to comfort her. “No,” she answered finally.

Kara let out a breath she had been holding. “You’re not?” she asked, making sure this was real.

“Elle and Lyn will always come first,” Lena stated, to which she promptly heard Kara agreeing. “I believe living under separate roofs is not in their best interest. They struggle to sleep as it is and we both know they prefer having both of us nearby. For their sake, I think we should continue to live under the same roof, for the time being.”

“I agree living under the same roof would be in their best interest, also because they’ve been getting used to living here. We always eat together as a family and if you were to move away, they would ask a lot of questions and it could upset them more. I love having the girls and you around. Things have been tense lately, but I’d hate to see you go.”

Lena wasn’t sure what to say about the part where Kara stated she loved having her around and how she would hate to see her go. “I’m surprised you’re not kicking me out,” she said with a chuckle, although it was laced with pain. “With the things I said to you, it’s what I deserve.”

“We both did things we regret,” Kara replied, shaking her head. “I don’t resent you, Lena. I don’t think I can. You mean too much to me.”

“You mean a lot to me as well, Kara,” Lena whispered, placing her hand on Kara’s knee. She gave her a soft squeeze and an appreciative nod. “It feels good being able to talk this through. We never were the best at communicating, were we?”

Kara chuckled faintly. “Out of all the things we were good at, that wasn’t one of them,” she agreed. “But we’re learning and that’s okay, it has to be.”

“A few boundaries will be in order,” Lena said. “I have no intention of terminating my friendship with Livewire, but I can assure you I won’t bring her into your home.”

“That sounds fair,” Kara replied, glad they could reason with each other. “If I want to take Elle and Lyn somewhere again at some point, I’ll contact you first to ask if you’re okay with it and also so you’d know where they are.”

Lena nodded. “I’ll do the same if I want to take them somewhere.”

“This might sound weird, but would you mind sleeping in my bed for a few weeks?” Kara asked, fumbling with her fingers. “I think it will really help Elle and Lyn to process what happened better if they can sleep next to us for a while. It’s not my intention to make you feel uncomfortable or to make this awkward, this is about our daughters.”

Lena couldn’t deny Elle and Lyn did sleep better when they were both around. It wasn’t a bad idea. Despite the rough patches she went through with Kara, they were both adults. All they needed was to communicate more the way they were right now. She wasn’t planning on staying away from Kara as if she was allergic to her, because that would be immature.

“Okay, that’s a good idea,” Lena said, nodding slowly. “Can I call dibs on which side of the bed I sleep on?”

“Nope,” Kara answered, getting up from the couch. “Duty calls, can you pick up the girls? I’ll grab some food for us on my way back.”

“I was thinking about cooking, since I’m home early anyway. Kale is more nutritious than the fast-food you’re thinking about buying.”

“I thought we were trying not to traumatize our daughters,” Kara said, ducking when Lena threw a pillow at her.

“Comforting them doesn’t mean we have to spoil them, Kara,” Lena replied while she got up to scoop up the pillow and put it back in place. “Since you’re so enthusiastic about kale, I’ll make sure you get an extra portion.”

Kara still didn’t resent Lena, but she did resent kale, so much. Then again, a weight was lifted from her chest due to her conversation with Lena and eating kale wasn’t going to ruin the fact she felt more upbeat.

 

 

* * *

 

 

“Mam, why do humans live longer than dogs?” Elle asked. She gave Bumble’s leash a bit freer reign to let him run around.  “Mom said we’ll live longer than humans, is that true?”

“Shush, Elle,” Lyn said, resting a finger against her lips. “Not so loud, we’re outside.”

Lena looked around, but there was nobody near them, although she agreed with Lyn that Elle shouldn’t ask something like that aloud. The last thing she needed was for anyone to find out her daughters were Kryptonians.

“’M sorry,” Elle mumbled, sighing. “Mam?”

“Dogs age faster, sweetheart,” Lena said, running her hand through Elle’s hair. “One human year equals seven years for dogs.”

“I read about that,” Lyn said. She knelt down and gave Gryffindog a snack after he gave her his paw. “Good boy,” she whispered, kissing the top of his head. “Look, mam, I’ve been teaching Gryff some tricks.”

“I see, sweetie, good job,” Lena replied, smiling. “Don’t give him too much snacks though.”

“Gryff is getting fatter than Bumble,” Elle commented. “We should name him butterball.”

“That’s mean,” Lyn said, pouting. “I think you’re perfect,” she said to Gryffindog, who waggled his tail when she rubbed his head.

“Are we really going to live longer than humans, mam?” Elle asked quietly.

“Yes, Kryptonians do live longer,” Lena confirmed. She knew her daughters would have questions like these one day, but she wasn’t quite prepared to answer them so soon, always having assumed she had more time.

Elle clasped her arms around one of Lena’s legs. “Does that mean you are going to die while we are still alive?” she asked, lip quivering.

Lena knew it was inevitable. Parents were always supposed to die first. One day she would be gone and eventually Kara would be gone as well. “You are going to be all grown up and maybe even have children of your own long before that happens,” she assured her daughters.

“I hope I’ll have twins someday,” Lyn said. “I’m going to name one of them after you, mam.”

“And I hope you will wait at least twenty years before you have children,” Lena said, definitely not keen on becoming a grandmother all that fast.

“Twenty years?” Lyn asked, frowning. “Elle and I will be twenty-eight by then and you had us when you were nineteen.”

“Did it hurt to have babies?” Elle asked, her arms still clasped around Lena’s leg.

Lena remembered giving birth to the twins, how long it took, how exhausted and worn out she was. All of that didn’t hurt as much as it did to know she was alone. The first few years were difficult and her daughters gave her a run for her money with their powers. Once a doctor even asked if she was a victim of domestic violence, but the truth was her twins, who were mere toddlers at the time, didn’t have a grip on their strength.

“We can look it up on the internet,” Lyn said to Elle, patting her back. “Google knows everything.”

“Nu-uh, only mam and mom know everything,” Elle replied defiantly. “Mam is a genius. She gave birth to us, Google didn’t.”

“Let’s keep walking, girls,” Lena said, gently urging her daughters on by giving them a light push forward. “I told your mother we would visit your Auntie Alex at the hospital and it’s going to be dark in a few hours.”

“Auntie Alex is a strong ninja, she is going to get better soon,” Lyn said. “She said she fell down the stairs, but I know that’s not true.”

“What makes you think that, sweetie?” Lena asked, although her daughter was right that it was a lie. Along with Alex and Kara, she had agreed not to worry the girls.

“YouTube,” Elle said. “Lyn and I both saw it, someone posted a video. Auntie Alex was wearing her DEO suit and some woman broke her leg and crushed her ribs.”

Lena didn’t like how easily her daughters had access to such information. There was a dangerous villain on the loose, targeting specific people. Kara was already worried enough as it was, thinking she might be a target for being a Luthor. She knew Kara didn’t mean anything bad by it.

“I could help mom,” Lyn said, placing her hands firmly on her hips.

“No, Karalyn Luthor-Danvers, you will do no such thing,” Lena replied sternly to shut that idea down fast. “You are a child and your mother and I don’t want either one of you to get hurt.”

“But, mam,” Lyn whined. “I’m not going to be a child forever.”

“You are always going to be _my child_ and that is forever. This argument ends here.”

“Mam,” Elle said, tugging at Lena’s hand. “Someone is approaching us. They’re fast, I can hear their heart.”

Lena followed her daughter’s finger, which was shakily pointing to the side. “Get behind me.”

“But, mam, you’re hum-”

“Now, Lyn,” Lena interrupted. She held her chin up high, not seeing anyone yet, but it was a known fact the new villain was fast.

“Hey,” Elle said, stepped out from behind Lena’s legs. “I know who you are.”

“Don’t touch her, Elle,” Lyn warned, hurrying to step out from behind Lena’s legs as well. “I am not afraid of you, if you touch my sister I will punch you,” she hissed, raising her fists.

It all happened so fast, Lena was too slow to react when Elle reached out with an innocent, sweet smile on her face.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *laughs evilly* Hello, angst, my old friend.


	21. Chapter 21

Kara fluffed the pillow. She cupped a hand under Alex’s head, carefully tilting her head up to place her pillow back. “Is that better?” she asked, readjusting the thin blanket.

“Yes,” Alex answered, screwing her eyes shut.

“They’re not giving you enough painkillers, are they?” Kara asked, biting her lip. “I’m sorry that this happened to you, I should have been there.”

Alex knew her job came with risks. She didn’t blame her sister for not having been there when it happened. While it went down, she should have called for backup. Instead she thought she had it under control with her team.

Kara saw her sister reaching for the remote just as a broadcast came through. She grabbed the remote, turning up the volume enough for Alex to hear. “Reign,” she whispered, not surprised the new villain was branded, but as the news went on, it became clear the villain called herself Reign.

“This is not good,” Alex said, hand gripping the sheet, trying to squeeze away the pain. Kara was right she wasn’t getting enough painkillers, but that was her own decision, to remain somewhat focused and awake rather than drowsy.

The news urged people to stay indoors as much as possible and to keep all of their doors and windows locked, as if Reign couldn’t break through them with the push of her fingertip.

Kara heard how afraid people were, heard the terror in their voices. There were people trying to leave the hospital, scared it wasn’t safe. “I need to stop her,” she said, balling her fists.

“I have a bad feeling about this, Kara,” Alex said, having a gut feeling that told her this villain was more dangerous than others they encountered.

“She almost killed you, she could have-” Kara turned away, eyes brimming with unshed tears. The idea of losing her sister was too much. “Reign has been wreaking havoc, killing people and making this city unsafe.”

“Just please be careful, Kara,” Alex whispered.

Kara sighed and nodded.

There was a knock on the hospital door.

Samantha poked her head around the door. “Alex,” she said, holding a hand to her chest as she rushed inside the room.

“I’ll be okay,” Alex told Samantha. She smiled softly when Samantha took one of her hands in both of hers, even though she had to strain herself to smile.

“I can’t stay long because I have to pick up Ruby soon, but I wanted to come see you,” Samantha said, kissing Alex’s hand. “How are you feeling?”

“Better now that you’re here,” Alex answered, wishing Samantha could stay a little longer, but she understood that between work and Ruby, her girlfriend didn’t have much time to spare.

Kara stepped out into the hall to give Alex and Samantha some privacy to talk. She nodded at the two DEO agents who were posted outside her sister’s hospital room. Smiling, she remembered Alex saying they were being overbearing by keeping guard, but there was nothing wrong with taking a few safety precautions. She took a few safety precautions as well ever since she caught wind of the new villain.

“Hey, I’m about to get us some coffee,” Agent Lane said to Kara. “Do you want a cup?”

“Um, sure, yeah,” Kara answered, running a hand through her hair. “Thanks.”

“Alex is going to be okay, you know,” Agent Lane said. “She’s a tough chick.”

 

 

* * *

 

 

“You’re going to fight me? You’re what, four feet? You’re cute, kid.”

“Stop that,” Lyn complained, sticking her hands out to keep her hair from being ruffled. “You’re messing up my hair.”

“Cut it out,” Lena said, sighing.

“Brave kids,” Livewire said to Lena.

Elle took one of Livewire’s hands, inspecting it. “Does it hurt when you use your powers?”

“Nah, not even a little,” Livewire answered, taking her hand back. “You gotta be careful, kid, I’m like one of those high voltage fences.”

Lena wasn’t happy to see Livewire right now, despite the fact they were friends. She told Kara she wouldn’t let Livewire near the twins. “What are you doing here?” she asked Livewire.

“Hanging out, enjoying nature,” Livewire answered, shrugging. “I was nearby.”

“No you weren’t,” Lyn said. “You’re lying, liar.”

Lena narrowed her eyes. It was suspicious how much Livewire’s eyes were darting around, scanning the area. She grabbed Livewire’s arm. “Why are you really here?” she asked in a whisper, unfortunately aware her daughters heard her regardless.

“Because you’re you and you’re my friend,” Livewire answered quietly. “Do you want me to keep pretending those kids can’t hear me or can we stop acting like they’re not Supergirl’s kids?”

“That is quite the accusation to make,” Lena replied silently, thankful her twins weren’t commenting. “If that was true, why would you protect Supergirl’s children?”

“I already gave you that answer. For a genius, you’re oddly dense.”

“Mam, is it true Livewire is your friend?” Lyn asked.

“Do you know Psi?” Elle asked Livewire.

“Know her?” Livewire replied, scoffing. “You could say that. Psi and I used to-”

Lena tilted her head to the side, eyes wide.

“- eat together,” Livewire finished, clearing her throat as she glanced briefly at Lena. “We were hungry a lot.”

“Are you following us around because of that new villain that’s out there?” Lyn asked Livewire.

“Bonus points for the kid, she gets it,” Livewire said to Lena. “You sure she’s one of yours?”

“She brought back-up by the way.”

Lena spun around, recognizing that voice. “Imra,” she said, surprised to see her here.

“Brought,” Livewire said, making quotation marks with her fingers. “You just love following me around.”

“The difference is I was asked to keep an eye on her and you weren’t,” Imra replied.

“Kara,” Lena whispered, because of course Kara wouldn’t let her walk around alone. She caught a glimpse of a teenager ducking behind a tree in the nearby distance. “If that teenager lurking behind that tree is J’onn, I’m leaving.”

“You’re right, mam, that’s him,” Lyn said, nodding. “I can smell his Martian blood.”

“Are you kidding me right now?” Lena asked, throwing her hands up. “Okay, how many people are shadowing us?”

“I would say half of the DEO,” Imra answered. “Psi is not here though. She doesn’t want to come close to the twins.”

“Well, we’re leaving,” Lena said abruptly. “And by we I mean my children, our dogs and I.”

“Whoa hey, don’t let Imra’s otherworldly beauty scare you away,” Livewire said.

“You must have shocked them the second you arrived,” Imra said to Livewire, a smile playing on her lips. “Seeing you can be quite electrifying,” she added, winking.

“You don’t need telekinesis to lift me up, hearing your voice is uplifting enough.”

“Mam?” Elle asked, making a confused face. “What are they doing? Why are they talking like that?”

“They are being silly, sweetie. Ignore what they are saying,” Lena answered, not even wanting to know what was up between Imra and Livewire. It was confusing to hear Imra respond to it all while she previously claimed to be dating Psi, but it wasn’t any of her business.

“I think they were flirting with each other,” Lyn said, to which Elle giggled. “It’s true, I saw things like that in movies. People flirt when they like someone this much,” she explained, stretching her arms out as far as she could.

“Oh,” Elle whispered. “Like Auntie Alex and Samantha,” she said, smiling.

 

 

* * *

 

 

Kara warned her daughters multiple times to be careful. While they understood Alex was hurt, it was clear they had no idea what it was like for someone to have broken bones.

“I brought you some flowers and a balloon, Auntie Alex,” Elle said, raising her hands to show the flowers and the balloon to Alex.

“Elle and I also wrote you a get well soon card,” Lyn added.

Elle pouted when Alex cried. “Have we upset you, Auntie Alex?”

“No, sweetheart, you haven’t,” Alex answered, dabbing at her eyes with her sleeve. “I’m crying tears of joy for those pretty flowers, that animal balloon and the sweet card you and your sister brought me.”

“Girls, I think your auntie Alex needs to get some rest now,” Lena said softly.

“I’ll take them home,” Kara offered. “Imra is coming here around nine, tonight.”

“Okay, I’ll come home once Imra gets here,” Lena replied, nodding.

Alex was too tired to argue she didn’t need this kind of protection and that she didn’t need to have company at all times. She was okay with being alone every once in a while, though at the same time she would love having Samantha around.

“Say bye, girls,” Kara said.

“Bye, girls,” Lyn said, giggling.

“Lyn,” Kara prodded.

“Did you see how she smiled?” Lyn whispered to Elle. “I made Auntie Alex smile.”

“Bye, Auntie Alex,” Elle and Lyn said in sync.

Kara took Elle and Lyn’s hand, walking them out of the room so they could go outside and find Lucy, who was keeping an eye on the dogs.

“Mom, can I tell you something mam said about you earlier?” Elle asked, moving her mouth from one corner to another.

“Of course you can, sweetie,” Kara answered, already having a thousand thoughts running through her mind, wondering what Lena said.

“Mam said it’s okay she doesn’t have powers because seeing you is uplifting.”

“Oh… oh Rao,” Kara whispered, smiling a little. “Your mother said that?”

“Uh-huh,” Elle answered, bobbing her head up and down. “Right, Lyn?”

“Yes,” Lyn confirmed. “She also said something about your beauty, but… I don’t think we were supposed to tell you,” she said, pressing her teeth together.

“It’s okay, we’ll keep it a secret,” Kara assured her daughters. “I’m glad you told me,” she said, surprised Lena spoke of her that way to the twins. “Did she uh, err, say anything else?”

“Something about your arrival electrifying her,” Lyn said. “But she smiled.”

“Yes, like this,” Elle chimed in, before showing off the biggest smile.

“Electrifying?” Kara whispered, confused, because the only time Lena ever used a word like that was around nine years ago when they – Oh Rao.

“What’s gotten you blushing and smiling like that?” Lucy asked Kara while she handed the twins their dogs back.

“We have no idea,” Lyn said to Lucy. She sucked her lips into her mouth and shook her head. “It’s a mystery.”

 

 

* * *

 

 

Alex wanted to drape a blanket around Lena, who was slumped on the chair across from her. She could only imagine how exhausted Lena must have been to fall asleep when it was barely eight in the evening. Sadly, she couldn’t even get up. Even the slightest movement was a painful experience.

The door creaked when someone pushed it open.

It cost Alex quite some effort to try and sit up, finding she couldn’t. She rubbed her eyes, looking at the person who entered. “Maggie…?” she asked, wondering if her medication was causing hallucinations. The doctor did warn her it was a possible side-effect, which was a part of the reason why she insisted on keeping her dose low.

Maggie slipped her hands in the pockets of her leather jacket. “Hey, Danvers,” she said, smiling faintly. “I heard you got hurt and I wanted to see how you’re doing, but I see you have a visitor, so I’ll go.”

“No,” Alex croaked out, struggling a little because of the pain due to moving abruptly. “Please stay. Lena is sleeping you don’t have to worry about her.”

“It’s not her I’m worried about,” Maggie replied, coming closer to the bed. “Reign did quite the number on you.”

Tears slid down Alex’s cheeks.

“Hey,” Maggie whispered, brushing Alex’s tears away with her thumbs. “I’m here.”

“Three agents died on my watch. I didn’t call for backup.”

Lena wasn’t sleeping, only resting her eyes, or well, lightly sleeping. She felt like an intruder, hearing how Alex talked about what happened, how Reign killed those other agents that were with her. It sounded like Alex was talking to someone, but she didn’t know who she was talking to.

“They died because of me,” Alex concluded after a long, detailed ramble.

“If you called for backup, more agents would have died,” Maggie replied, letting Alex take her hand. “What happened isn’t on you, Danvers. You’re not the villain who killed them. Reign is the bad guy here, this is on her.”

“I didn’t think I’d ever see you again,” Alex whispered. It felt surreal to have Maggie here, to hear her voice and to see that dimpled smile that only existed in her memories since the day they split up. “Are you really here?”

“I’d pinch you, but I’d rather not anger your sister. Who is all that stuff from?”

“Kara’s children, they’re precious,” Alex answered, smiling. “She has twins.”

“I did not see that coming,” Maggie whispered, eyes wide as she observed the room. “Is the food here as bad as they say?”

“Worse, it’s like they’re trying to punish people for being unwell.”

“Twins,” Maggie said. “You must be an aunt then. Do you want to tell me about them?”

“I’d love to,” Alex answered, patting the small space next to her, despite the effort it took out of her. “I won’t break if you sit next to me.”

 


	22. Chapter 22

Lena was preparing dinner when she heard the twins giggling, after a suspiciously long silence. Kara left a while back to keep an eye on the city and to pay Alex a visit. “Girls?” she called out.

Their giggles became louder. Lena had to sidestep when the puppies ran through the kitchen. Those cute, fluffy monsters caused her to trip more than once and she wasn’t interested on tripping while she was holding a sharp knife to cut vegetables.

Elle and Lyn appeared in the kitchen, stifling giggles behind their hands.

“Hmm,” Lena whispered, putting the knife down. “What are you two giggling about?”

“Mom said something funny before she left,” Elle answered. She clutched her stomach and laughed.

“Which was?” Lena asked, making a gesture with her hand for them to continue.

“You tell her,” Elle said, giggling as she pushed Lyn.

Lyn snickered, but stopped when Lena raised an eyebrow. “Okay, fine, I’ll say it,” she said with a deep sigh, as if she was asked to perform the most tiring task ever. “Mom said that she would give up being a Kryptonian if she could go back to the past and grow old with you.”

“Are you going to snitch on us, mam?” Elle asked, batting her eyelashes. “Lyn and I thought it was funny because we said powers are the most amazing thing in the world, but mom said there’s nothing more amazing in the entire universe than the three of us,” she said, gesturing between Lena, Lyn and herself.

“Grown up talk is weird,” Lyn said, making a face.

“I-” Lena said, having completely forgotten why she was in the kitchen. “What was I…? Oh, dinner, yes,” she whispered, blinking her eyes. “I won’t tell your mother,” she said, although in all fairness she wouldn’t even know how to bring it up without embarrassing herself.

Lena frowned when she saw Lyn was rubbing her hands together while she had a smirk on her face. “Karalyn, is there something you want to tell me?” she asked, tapping her foot on the kitchen tiles.

“Um… yes?” Lyn replied with a high-pitched tone. She let her shoulders sag. “I broke a vase upstairs and I was going to say the puppies did it,” she said, rubbing her right arm with her left hand while she took great interest in studying the floor.

Lena understood now why her daughters had been so suspiciously quiet. “Okay, thank you for being honest, because honesty-”

“Is the best policy,” Lyn and Elle droned, rolling their eyes.

“But we can lie when it’s to surprise someone or when it’s in their best interest, right, mam?” Elle asked, her eyes big and questioning.

“I would prefer it if you don’t lie at all.”

“Okay, I understand,” Elle replied, nodding. “When are you going to tell mom you threw her doughnuts out because you want her to eat less sugared food and that they weren’t expired like you told her?”

Lena almost lost her composure for a second. Her daughters were sneaky sometimes, but they got that from her. “Sometimes it is okay to lie when it is in someone’s best interest or to surprise them,” she amended. “But only if it won’t harm them.”

“Good talk, mam,” Lyn said with a big, bright smile. “I love learning things from you, you’re a genius.”

Lena couldn’t shake the feeling she somehow got sassed and blackmailed by her twins, but they were probably just playing around and it wasn’t new for them to be curious to learn things. Her thoughts shifted to the things Kara said about her. She was awestruck Kara would choose a human life with her over the life she had now. She had no idea she meant that much to her that she would make such a big sacrifice.

 

 

* * *

 

 

“Maggie visited me last night.”

Kara put the bottle of water down to avoid overflowing the glass. She twisted the cap back on and reached for a straw, bending it slightly. “Here you go,” she said, holding the glass of water, with the straw in it, close to Alex’s lips.

Alex took a long sip, grateful she could moisten her mouth. “She was here,” she whispered, sure of it. It couldn’t have been a dream, it all felt too real for it to be anything but.

“Alex,” Kara said, sighing. She put the glass aside when her sister didn’t make an attempt to drink any more. “Maggie left a year ago. She doesn’t live in National City anymore. I’m sorry.” The last thing she wanted right now was to hurt her sister, who was being in enough pain as it was. She didn’t like being the bearer of bad news.

“I know,” Alex replied, recalling vividly those things did happen because it still felt as if it happened yesterday, even after all this time. “But I saw her,” she insisted with a tone that said _please believe me_. “She held my hand,” she whispered, staring at her fingers, feeling as if it had only been a few seconds ago when Maggie let go and left.

Kara readjusted her sister’s blanket, eyeing the infusion meant to reduce the pain Alex was in, physically at least. “The doctor said your medication might have hallucinogenic effects,” she reminded her sister, not meaning to be cruel. “It is possible you saw Maggie because you were thinking about her, but she wasn’t real.”

A pained smile appeared on Alex’s face. “You think I’m crazy.”

Kara sighed. “That’s not how I meant it, Alex,” she replied, giving her sister a sympathetic look. She knew it was really hard on Alex to deal with breaking up with Maggie and it wasn’t fair how her medication rekindled all of those memories and emotions.

“I know what I saw,” Alex whispered, sticking to her case. “She was real, she… she has to be. I can’t… I can’t lose her all over again, Kara.”

Kara took a deep breath. It hurt too much hearing and seeing her sister like this. She heard how unsteady Alex’s heartbeat was, which the monitor – not helping at all – confirmed. The doctors had warned to keep Alex stress-free as much as possible.

“Okay, how about I call her and I’ll ask?” Kara suggested, retrieving her phone. “I’ll ask if she moved back to National City and if she visited you.”

Alex nodded, but the movement put too much strain on her injured ribs and made her wince. Once Maggie picked up she would tell Kara. She would tell her she really did visit and that she wasn’t hallucinating.

Kara still happened to have Maggie’s phone number due to rarely deleting anyone’s contact. The call didn’t last very long and all she heard was how Maggie’s number was disconnected. She bit her lip while Alex looked at her with a hopeful glint in her eyes, as if she wasn’t about to have her world smashed to pieces again.

Footsteps in the hall were coming closer and closer.

Kara snapped her head towards the door. “Someone is here,” she said, putting up her guard as she moved closer to the bed to protect her sister from possible danger.

Alex frowned when the door opened. “Ruby?” she said, surprised. “What are you doing here, sweetheart? Shouldn’t you be at school? What time is it?”

Kara expected Samantha to walk in next, but she didn’t. She poked her head out into the hall. No Samantha, only two DEO agents keeping watch. She shrugged at her sister.

“School ended an hour ago,” Ruby said, brushing her hair behind her ear. She had her backpack with her. “Mom said she would pick me up, but she didn’t. I tried calling her, but it went to her voicemail.”

Alex’s frown deepened. It was unlike Samantha not to be there to pick up Ruby from school. Sometimes her girlfriend was five minutes late, but this was unusual. “She probably got caught up at work,” she said, although that couldn’t excuse why Samantha was a no show after an hour passed. Not to mention how Samantha hadn’t visited her once today.

“I guess,” Ruby replied, moving her mouth from one corner to another. “I didn’t know where to go, so I came here.”

Alex shared a concerned look with Kara. “How about you go with Kara and then you can play with the twins for a bit?” she gently suggested to Ruby while she glanced at her sister to seek her approval.

“Elle and Lyn would love that,” Kara said, smiling. “I can help you with your homework, if you have any. I’ll send a text to your mother to let her know you’re with me.”

“I want to stay here with Alex.”

“I love having you here, but I still need a lot of rest,” Alex said to Ruby, straining to brush her hand through her hair. It worried her Ruby walked to the hospital by herself because she was only ten years old and something bad could have happened, not to mention how the streets weren’t safe thanks to Reign. “What do you say, sweetheart?”

“Okay,” Ruby answered, casting her eyes down. She wrapped her arms lightly around Alex. “I hope you’ll feel better soon.”

Kara typed a quick text to Samantha, letting her know not to panic and informing her Ruby would be at her place. She also mentioned she didn’t have to worry about dinner. There was always enough food at her place and feeding an extra mouth wasn’t going to make a difference. It was no trouble at all.

Ruby meekly followed Kara out into the hall.

Kara could imagine Ruby was bummed out her mother didn’t show up. She wasn’t sure if she could say anything that would be helpful without sounding like she was trying to come up with excuses for Samantha. It crossed her mind Samantha might have gotten hurt or worse. Samantha didn’t strike her as the kind of parent who would neglect her child.

On her way out of the hospital with Ruby, Kara ran into a familiar face. She rubbed her eyes behind her glasses to double check her eyes weren’t playing any tricks on her. “Maggie?” she asked, drawing the petite brunette’s attention.

“Hey, little Danvers, long time no see.”

 


	23. Chapter 23

Lena smiled at the way Elle and Lyn were huddled together, arms wrapped around each other. They fell asleep on one side of the bed, rather than in the middle. Bumble and Gryff were loyally sleeping at their feet, like small fluffy guard dogs.

“Hey,” Kara whispered as she tiptoed into her bedroom. “Sam just picked up Ruby.”

“Is Sam okay?” Lena asked, her voice equally silent as to not wake the twins. She followed Kara out of the room. It was concerning when she heard Ruby hadn’t been picked up after school and how she walked to the hospital all alone.

“I think so,” Kara answered, frowning, not entirely sure. “She seemed… I don’t know… confused maybe. Her heart was racing when she hugged Ruby. I think she feels really bad about what happened.”

“Poor Sam,” Lena whispered, feeling just as bad for her as she felt for Ruby.

Kara wandered into her kitchen. “Hot chocolate?” she asked, already reaching for the ingredients to make herself a cup.

“I-” Lena went to say, thinking about coffee, but deciding against it. Coffee wouldn’t help her sleep anytime soon. “Hot chocolate sounds good, thank you.”

Kara selected two of the biggest mugs she could find. She smiled when she found a can of whipped cream, which would be a tasty addition to their hot chocolate.

“I’ve been meaning to talk to you,” Lena said when she remembered something.

“Oh,” Kara whispered, feeling a little nervous. She cleared her throat. “Oh?” she asked, aiming to sound neutral.

She wondered if the twins told Lena about that one fleeting moment where she mentioned there is nothing more important to her than Lena and the girls. Or maybe they told Lena how she said she would kick Lena out if she served kale one more time, which was just a joke. She assured Elle and Lyn she didn’t actually mean that, but perhaps they thought she did and maybe they told Lena she was going to kick her out.

Lena wasn’t sure why Kara faltered for a moment, but she decided not to overthink it. She could imagine how telling someone they needed to talk bordered on dreadful, though that wasn’t how she meant it at all.

“There is something I want you to have,” Lena whispered while she reached into her pocket, pulling out a necklace with a medallion attached to it. She opened it to show it to Kara. “It has Elle’s picture on one side and Lyn’s on the other, so you’ll always have them nearby when you wear it, no matter where you are.”

“Oh, Lena,” Kara whispered, eyes filling with tears. She didn’t think as she wrapped her arms around Lena. Blushing, she realized she reacted on impulse, hearing how Lena’s heartbeat quickened. She let go and took a step back, ducking her head. “It’s… I love it.”

Lena slowly breathed in and out, trying to silence her heart. It was just a hug she didn’t have to be such a useless lesbian about it. “I can put it on for you, if you’d like?” she offered, holding the necklace in her hands.

Kara nodded and turned around, gathering her hair in one hand. Her eyes zeroed in on Lena’s slender fingers, watching how she brought the medallion around her neck. It was an innocent touch yet she felt her body react, which was frustrating, but she couldn’t help it. It wasn’t something she was able to control.

“There,” Lena said, patting Kara’s shoulder, frowning when Kara jumped up. “What’s wrong?” she asked, not used to Kara being quick to flinch, unless she was anxious.

Kara’s heart was in her throat when she heard Lena come closer. She couldn’t let Lena see her. One look would be enough for Lena to see she had a boner. “I uh… err, forgot to turn the sink in the bathroom off!” she rushed out, whisper-shouting.

Lena was left standing in the kitchen while Kara couldn’t seem to get away from her fast enough. She smiled to herself, taking a wild guess as to why Kara was in such a hurry. It was quite satisfying how after all these years, she still had that kind of effect on her. There was no need for Kara to be embarrassed about it, considering it was only natural.

It took Kara a particularly long shower to get it out of her system. Her effort was for nought not even an hour later, when she silently slipped under her covers, having no choice but to sleep right next to Lena, given the twins weren’t sleeping in the middle like they did during the other nights.

“Oh Rao,” Kara whispered, turning as much as she could, nearly rolling out of her bed while she was at it. She didn’t dare to turn around, because then Lena would feel how hard she was. Her body was being a jerk, having a mind of its own.

“Kara,” Lena whispered. She rested a hand on Kara’s arm, feeling bad for her when she flinched again. “It’s okay. You don’t have to be ashamed.”

“I’m so sorry,” Kara mumbled, trying to steady her breathing, hoping that would somehow help. “It’s just eh… erm, been a while,” she shared awkwardly.

Lena hoped Kara wasn’t feeling too uncomfortable. This time she couldn’t smile about it, not when Kara was visibly suffering. She wanted to help, but the first idea that crossed her mind was entirely inappropriate.

 

 

* * *

 

 

A week had passed since the hospital discharged Alex, although she was still recovering, a fact she wasn’t fond of. Breathing remained a painful experience for the time being. Right now her injuries weren’t what bothered her.

“She was only here the day I left the hospital and she said she was going to stay through the night, but in the middle of the night I woke up and she was gone,” Alex whispered to Lena, who was sitting next to her on her couch. “She was gone and left Ruby here.”

Lena glanced at the twins, who were enraptured by something Ruby was showing them on her Ipad. “Sam did that?” she asked, frowning when Alex nodded. “Did she say why?”

Alex shook her head. “Sam keeps dropping off Ruby at my apartment and don’t get me wrong, I love Rubes. She’s a sweetheart and I enjoy spending time with her. I don’t mind babysitting her and it’s not like I’ll be going anywhere anytime soon,” she whispered, wincing at the way her ribs ached.

Lena placed a hand on Alex’s knee, squeezing lightly.

“I don’t like how she’s never around anymore, how she automatically assumes I’ll watch Rubes without asking,” Alex continued, sighing. She looked over at Ruby, who was laughing with the twins. “I feel like she’s taking me for granted. This is not how I know Sam, something is off.”

Lena didn’t know Samantha that well to begin with, although even she had to agree something was off. During the short moments where she met Samantha and spent time with her, she didn’t come across as the type of person who would be absent and leave her child behind. If anything, Samantha once said she would attach Ruby to her hip forever if she could.

“Have you spoken with her about your concerns?”

“I want to, but I haven’t gotten further than _hey_ or _okay, I’ll see you later_ ,” Alex answered, biting her lip hard enough to draw blood. She worried Samantha wanted to break up with her, but it didn’t make sense why she kept leaving Ruby at her place if that were true.

Lena slung an arm around Alex, caressing her back while Alex leaned into her side. “Everything is going to be okay,” she whispered, wanting to take all of Alex’s pain, wishing she could absorb it. “We will figure out what is going on. I am sure there is a logical explanation for this.”

Alex sniffled, despite how hard she was fighting to keep her tears at bay. What she had with Samantha was good, but everything had gone downhill since the day she ended up at the hospital.

The girls were no longer distracted by the Ipad.

“Alex?” Ruby asked, frowning. “Why are you crying? Are you in pain?”

“Her ribs and leg are hurting, sweetie,” Lena gently told Ruby while Alex couldn’t form a response. She continued to rub Alex’s back, feeling her heart break for Alex. “Can you get her some water?”

Ruby nodded and dashed into the kitchen.

Elle crawled on top of the couch. “I got you, Auntie Alex,” she whispered, hugging her small arms around Alex’s neck. “It’s okay, you can cry on my shoulder.”

“Mam,” Lyn whispered in Lena’s ear. “Who made Auntie Alex cry? I’ll fight that bastard.”

Lena wasn’t too surprised her twins figured it out, because they did get their intellect from both Kara and her. “Language,” she gently warned Lyn. “And violence is not the answer.”

There were two knocks on the door.

Ruby was handing Alex her glass of water while Lyn made a beeline for the door.

Lena lost count of how many times she explicitly warned her daughters to never ever open the door, not even for people they knew. She sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose.

Lyn narrowed her eyes. “I don’t know you,” she said, placing her hands on her hips. “What is the purpose of your visit? You’re little, but I don’t see any cookies, so you’re not a girl scout.”

“Maggie, hey,” Alex said, wiping the last of her tears away.

Maggie chuckled. “You’re either Elle or Lyn. I’m guessing Lyn because Alex told me a lot about you two,” she said while Lyn let her pass. “She’s cute,” she said to Alex. “She looks like a mini-” She abruptly stopped talking when Alex shook her head.

Alex knew Lyn looked like a much younger version of Supergirl and so did Elle, but Ruby didn’t know that and she wanted to keep it that way.

“Why do you have cuffs?” Lyn asked, already having Maggie’s cuffs in her hands. “Are you a cop? Do you arrest people?”

“Lyn, give those cuffs back,” Lena said calmly. “Hello, Maggie,” she said to the detective Alex and Kara told her about.

“Lena,” Maggie replied with a nod.

“Alas no cookies,” Maggie said, raising a plastic bag. “But I did bring food and chocolate.”

“You didn’t have to do that,” Alex replied, sighing quietly.

“I know, but I wanted to,” Maggie said, putting the bag on the table. “The doctor said you need as much rest as you can get and you were never a great cook. I can’t let you starve. I was in the neighborhood, so it’s no trouble.”

Alex smiled, Maggie really hadn’t changed a bit, but she knew her stance on children hadn’t changed either. Not that it mattered because she was with Samantha now, assuming Samantha didn’t plan on breaking up with her.

 


	24. Chapter 24

Kara dipped her finger into the cookie dough batter. It didn’t count as cookies for breakfast, not when they would be in the oven while they would eat breakfast. “The dough is the best part,” she said, holding her finger out to Lena.

“Sugar this early in the morning?” Lena commented, sighing. “You corrupt me, Kara.”

“Aw come on, you love it,” Kara replied, giving Lena a hopeful smile. “It tastes delish, trust me.”

Lena knew that Kara’s idea of something tasting delish involved at least one extra cup of sugar. “Okay,” she whispered, succumbing to Kara’s pout. She was only human; she wasn’t a hundred percent immune to that irresistible pout, even if she liked to think she was.

Kara made the mistake of making eye-contact with Lena while Lena sucked the dough from her finger. Oh Rao that was hot. Her tongue involuntarily wet her lips, eyes half-lidded.

Lena stumbled back when realization dawned upon her. “We should…,” she said, gesturing at the drawer, “spoons.”

Kara nodded her head excessively, scrambling to open the drawer. “That’s… yes, let’s… um…I’ll just...,” she trailed off, winding up holding a handful of spoons. “I can’t wait for dessert.”

Lena chuckled. “You haven’t eaten breakfast yet,” she pointed out, shaking her head. “And I wouldn’t say that too loud. I think Elle and Lyn have a sixth sense for anything sugar-related,” she whispered.

Kara made a zipper movement in front of her lips. She didn’t want to wake their daughters up when they were so peacefully asleep. She turned the volume of the music that was playing down, even though it wasn’t that loud to begin with, shaking her hips while she mouthed the words.

“Kara,” Lena said, struggling to keep a straight face. “I was kidding. They’re out like a light. I doubt we will hear a single peep from them for the next hour or so.”

“I will get you,” Kara huffed. She scooped up a spoonful of cookie dough and flung it at Lena.

Lena gasped and brought a hand to her cheek where the dough had landed. “You did not just...,” she said, staring when Kara prepared another spoonful. “We are not in college anymore. I will not participate in-”

Kara tried to look innocent when the dough she fired at Lena landed in her bosom. “Uh oh,” she whispered while she saw Lena reaching for a couple of eggs.

Lena reveled in the way Kara shrieked as she egged her. She grabbed one of Kara’s wrists and pinned her arm behind her back, pressing her against the counter, aware of how easily Kara could escape if she wanted to. “Do you surrender?”

Kara smiled. The hold Lena had on her was a light one, even by human standards. “Can I sleep on that?” she asked, turning around. She realized she shouldn’t have turned around when she was standing so close to Lena their noses nearly touched.

Lena’s eyes dipped down to Kara’s lips, like two traitors with a mind of their own. She flicked her eyes back up, hoping Kara didn’t see, but if she did, it didn’t look like she was going to say something about it.

Kara traced her tongue around her lips, sensing they were somewhat dry. She shuddered, seeing how Lena’s eyes followed her tongue, not to mention how two seconds ago, Lena stared at her lips. Oh Rao, she felt tempted to lean in and just…

Lena stumbled against Kara. In her failed attempt to stay on her feet, her hands landed on Kara’s breasts. Her face turned into a mixture of horror and surprise. “Kara, I…I didn’t…,” she tried, close to mortified.

“Sorry!” Elle said when Lena and Kara put some distance between them. “Bumble was fetching his ball. I didn’t know he would bump into you, mam.”

Kara had been so distracted she hadn’t heard the twins and the puppies waking up.

“Elle,” Lena said, tapping her foot, arms crossed and fingers dancing lightly on her skin. “What did I tell you about throwing a ball indoors?”

“I’m sorry, mam,” Elle said, lip quivering as she stared at the floor. “Bumble was so excited to play and I just love him so much.”

“It’s okay, Elle,” Lyn said, rubbing Elle’s back. “Nobody got hurt, mam. And mom is around to protect all of us. Right, mom?”

“Yes, sweetie,” Kara answered, sharing a look with Lena who eyed her. “It’s true. I wouldn’t let you get hurt.”

“Be careful next time,” Lena gently warned Elle.

Lyn’s lips curled into a smile. She whispered something to Elle.

Kara frowned, not recognizing the language Lyn was speaking. “Did you teach them a foreign language?” she asked Lena.

“They developed a language of their own,” Lena answered, surprised to hear the twins using that odd language again. “It started when they turned three.”

“Clever girls,” Kara replied, genuinely impressed. “What are you two smiling so much about?” she asked Elle and Lyn, who looked guilty of something.

“Lyn is trying to come up with a plan how we can eat the cookie dough without either one of you noticing.”

“Elle!” Lyn gasped. “You can’t share my master plan like that.”

“I need to go take a shower,” Kara said, sighing quietly. “A certain someone egged me.”

“I need a shower as well, because a certain someone attacked me with cookie dough,” Lena said.

Kara had the decency to look sheepish at that. “You can go first,” she offered, since it was her fault they both ended up needing a shower.

“Why don’t you shower together?” Lyn asked. “Elle and I shower together all the time.”

“Yes,” Elle chimed in. “It saves water, which is good because too much water goes to waste.”

“Adults don’t shower together, sweethearts,” Lena replied, shaking her head. She sighed when Elle glared and pursed her lips together. “Elle, sweetie…”

“You are setting a very bad example,” Elle said, arms crossed. “The environment is important.”

“We won’t stay in the shower long,” Kara assured Elle. “I’ll take a cold shower, it’s good for the environment,” she said, although it had little to do with the environment and a lot with Lena accidentally groping her boobs earlier.

Lena looked at the twins with scrutinizing eyes. They had been acting strange lately, though she couldn’t blame them, considering everything that had happened. Her sweet little angels went through a lot, moving and adjusting to a new neighborhood, and everything else that was new or different.

 

 

* * *

 

 

Kara landed on top of the bridge where Reign was killing a couple of drug dealers. This time she caught her red-handed rather than arriving too late.

“Supergirl,” Reign said, her voice laced with venom and hatred. She tossed the man she was holding to the side like a ragdoll.

“It is time for you to stop killing people, Reign.”

“I am truth and judgment… and death,” Reign replied, scooping one of the drug dealers up. “Humans have seen crime and looked the other way. Not anymore, not this time, for I shall Reign!”

Kara caught the man Reign threw at her, putting him down. “Everyone, get off the bridge!” she shouted, not comfortable with the amount of people and cars that were on the bridge.

Reign grabbed a car and used it to body slam Supergirl into another car. They threw punch after punch, flying up and crashing a bit further down the bridge. A part of the bridge broke off. One half plunged into the water underneath it while Reign used the other half to swing at Supergirl’s head.

Kara fell down and touched a hand to her temple, fingers coming up red and sticky. She was bleeding. Reign made her bleed and not even a little. Before she had to chance to strike back, Reign swung at her again, hitting her right underneath her chin.

Reign used her heat vision to keep Supergirl down while she closed in on her.

Kara tried to block the punches Reign launched at her, but she didn’t even get the chance to get up. With help of her freeze breath, she blew Reign several steps back.

Reign returned, hitting Supergirl with double the strength she did before. She had a smirk on her face, as if she wanted to say she had been holding back.

Kara fought back as hard as she could, but Reign was too strong. Her powers were completely blown and the simple task of standing proved to be difficult.

Reign wrapped one hand around Supergirl’s throat and lifted her over the edge of the bridge. Her eyes were narrowed, glancing at the shiny trinket around Supergirl’s neck.

“No,” Kara whispered, having little energy left to even form a plea. “Not my…”

“You will die tonight,” Reign said, yanking the necklace from Supergirl’s neck. It dropped down on the edge of the bridge, splitting open with the pictures facing upwards.

A tear escaped Kara, seeing her daughters’ smiling faces in the medallion, realizing this could be the last time she would ever catch a glimpse of them. Her thoughts shifted to Lena, how much she meant to her and how she wished she could hug Lena one last time.

Something shifted in Reign’s eyes. Her eyes flickered from red to hazel to red again. “You’re a mother,” she said, her voice cold, but it sounded like there was some sort of emotion mixed into it as well.

It wasn’t a question and Kara hated how Reign discovered she had daughters, all because of her carelessness to wear her medallion whilst fighting. She closed her eyes, knowing Reign was going to drop her, knowing she would fall into the water and drown, knowing she was too beaten and bruised to resist any longer, knowing she failed the people of National City and her family.

“Daughters,” Reign whispered, seemingly hesitating to drop Supergirl.

Kara saw the redness in Reign’s eyes fade, only for her eyes to turn red again, as if Reign was fighting a battle with herself, an inner battle of sorts.

Reign staggered back and dropped Supergirl on the bridge. There was a rope formed out of electricity around her throat, which was what made her lose her balance.

“For someone spending so much time on a bridge, you suck at getting over it.”

“Live…,” Kara whispered, falling in and out of consciousness. “No…”

Reign tossed Livewire aside and shot up into the sky, disappearing from the scene altogether.

Kara tried to push herself up onto her feet, only to slump down again. A pale hand appeared in front of her face. She stuck her hand out, reaching for it. They were once enemies.

“I got you,” Livewire said. “Stay awake, blondie.”

“You saved my…,” Kara whispered, barely able to stand, despite Livewire’s help.

“The enemy of my enemy and all that jazz,” Livewire replied, though that didn’t sound believable. “Come on, stay awake,” she huffed, tossing Supergirl’s arm around her shoulders. “Recite the presidents or something.”

“You… know… those?”

Livewire snorted. “Nope.”

Kara was too exhausted to keep going. She knew the DEO would come for her soon. She slumped down and placed the medallion in Livewire’s hand. “My girls...,” she choked out. “Find them… before...” She swallowed thickly. Reign saw Elle and Lyn’s face, they wouldn’t be safe. “Protect…”

That was the last word Kara managed to say before she passed out.

“Don’t you dare die on me damn it, you hear me? I’ve been to one too many funerals already because of that psycho.”

 


	25. Chapter 25

Samantha burst inside Alex’s apartment, after almost a minute of cursing about where she left her key in her purse. “Ruby,” she said while her eyes were big and searching.

“She is sleeping. She asked for you by the way,” Alex said, moving her glass lightly, letting the liquid circle around while her eyes were focused on no particular point. “Where have you been, Sam?”

Alex hated how her voice cracked somewhere in the middle. She hated how her eyes filled with tears she didn’t want to shed. Sitting alone on her couch at night, wounded and sipping tequila while her girlfriend’s daughter was sleeping in her bed while she wondered where she had gone wrong with her girlfriend wasn’t how she imagined her life would look like.

“I was at work and-”

“Stop,” Alex cut her off. She put her glass down on the coffee table in front of her. “Just, stop,” she said as tears ran down her cheeks. “It’s been two weeks since the hospital let me go and I’m lucky if I get to see you for five minutes at a time. So really, Sam, where have you been? And don’t give me the work excuse because I called and you weren’t there.”

Samantha’s hands were shaking ever so slightly while she moved towards the couch.

“If there’s someone else or…,” Alex said, trailing off, shaking her head. She didn’t know what to think anymore, wasn’t sure if she was just a babysitter while her girlfriend was seeing other people. “You can’t leave me in the dark, scared you might not want this – us – anymore.”

The couch dipped a little bit as Samantha sat down next to Alex. She reached out for one of Alex’s hands, a flash of pain passed through her eyes when Alex didn’t let her take her hand. “Alex…”

That only made Alex cry more. She turned her head to the side, facing Samantha. “Where were you?” she asked as a sob wrenched itself free from her throat.

“I…I don’t know,” Samantha answered, casting her eyes down before flicking them back up. “I think something is wrong with me.”

Alex had no idea what to make of that. She half-expected a confession that yes, her girlfriend was seeing someone else. The signs were there with Samantha being gone all the time and how there was a lack of affection and communication.

“Alex,” Samantha whispered, cupping her cheeks. “I love you and I know I haven’t been around much. You must be thinking I haven’t been myself and you’d be right to think that because I haven’t been myself. I don’t feel like myself. It sounds like an excuse. I can hear that while I’m telling you this, but I promise you, I love you and Ruby more than anything. The last thing I want is to neglect either one of you.”

Alex flung her arms around Samantha’s neck and cried some more. It was true her girlfriend hadn’t been acting like herself lately, which was confusing. “Please stay tonight and talk to me,” she whispered, slowing her breathing while Samantha caressed her back. “Let me help you instead of you hiding and trying to fight whatever this is alone.”

Samantha stopped caressing Alex’s back. She pulled away completely, shifting to the far end of the couch. “I think I killed someone,” she whispered, stretching her hands out, staring at her fingers.

Alex frowned. “Sam?” she whispered softly, leaning towards her girlfriend.

“No,” Samantha said, leaning away from Alex. “Don’t come any closer. I don’t want to hurt you.”

“You won’t,” Alex replied, placing a hand on Samantha’s knee. “The Sam I know wouldn’t even hurt a fly. You’re not going to hurt me.”

Samantha cupped Alex’s jaw, her thumb brushing at the remains of a tear. “I already did.”

 

 

* * *

 

 

The DEO agents stood no chance against the force that plowed through them to get to Supergirl.

“Supergirl needs time to heal,” J’onn said through a com. “Do not let anyone pass.”

“I am on it,” Imra said, entering the control center. “On second thought, I will sit this one out.”

“We want to see our mom!” Lyn shouted with tears streaming down her face.

“Let us through!” Elle shouted, pushing another DEO agent aside.

Livewire raised her hands when Imra eyed her. “It wasn’t my idea, don’t look at me,” she said, glancing over her shoulder. “I can’t stay here, until next time,” she said before disappearing.

Lena’s hands were in the pockets of her coat to hide the fact her hands were trembling. She flew here with her daughters because if she hadn’t, they would have flown here by themselves whether she allowed them to or not. They all saw the news, they saw what happened to Kara, how at one point she slumped down without getting back up.

Psi circled around the corner. “Oh, no way,” she muttered, turning back around. “I am not going to fight a couple of crying children or any children for that matter.”

“Lena,” J’onn said as he walked in. “Elle, Lyn,” he said with a nod.

“We need to see her,” Lena said, eyes red from crying. “The girls and I need to see how she is doing. We are her family, we have rights.”

“Agent Lane,” J’onn called out. “Take them to see Supergirl.”

“Yes, sir,” Lucy answered, gesturing at Lena and the twins to follow her.

Lena’s fingers tightened around the medallion. When Livewire brought it to her, she felt like her world was falling apart. It was scary to hear Reign discovered Supergirl had two daughters and she could only handle so much at a time, but at least they would be safe here.

“Mom!” Elle and Lyn shouted, running towards the sunbed.

“She’s hurt,” Lyn whispered, wiping at her tears. “Reign did this to her.”

Elle curled up on Kara’s right side while Lyn curled up at her other side.

Lena tried to mask her emotions, but seeing Kara all battered and bruised wrecked something inside of her. There were plenty of times where she saw Supergirl in a nasty fight on the news, but this was the first time she personally saw her so wounded.

One of Kara’s eyes was swollen and her other eye didn’t look much better with the purple and blue bruising around it. The skin from her knuckles was scraped. She had a head wound and her skin was slightly discolored.

Lena felt as if someone punched her in the gut and stabbed a knife through her chest. She couldn’t bear seeing the woman she loved hurt like this. The fact that Elle and Lyn were sobbing only made it much worse. She wanted nothing more than to scoop all three of them into her arms and absorb every ounce of their pain.

 

 

* * *

 

 

It was the middle of the night. The girls were fast asleep by now, but Lena was still wide awake. She was sitting on a chair next to the sunbed, holding one of Kara’s hands.

“Please open your eyes,” Lena whispered, rubbing soft circles over the back of Kara’s hand. “Our girls need you to come home. I – I need you to come home.”

Minutes ticked by while Lena continued to whisper to Kara. She told her about the twins, about the adventures she went through with them when they were younger and still learning to control their powers. She shared everything from things that made her laugh to things that made her cry.

“I feel so much for you and I’ve been a coward,” Lena whispered. She sighed, frowning when she felt a light squeeze, causing her to glance down at their intertwined fingers. “Kara?” she asked softly, holding her breath. She leaned forward and kissed her forehead.

Kara snapped her eyes open. “Lena,” she whispered, straining to sit up.

“You’re awake,” Lena whispered with a watery smile.

“I’m not going anywhere,” Kara replied, brushing Lena’s tears away. “You won’t get rid of me that easily.”

Lena leaned closer. “Perfect, I never want to get rid of you,” she whispered, avoiding Kara’s knuckles as she caressed her thumb over the back of her hand.

“We can’t keep doing this,” Kara said, breathing hard while her forehead rested against Lena’s. “I can’t pretend I don’t want to kiss you,” she confessed, too tired to hide the truth any longer.

“Then don’t pretend,” Lena replied, cupping the back of Kara’s neck. “I believe in second chances, don’t you?” she asked while her lips almost brushed Kara’s.

Kara swallowed and caressed Lena’s jaw with her thumb. “I do, but…,” she answered, pausing. She didn’t like it any more than Lena would, but it was something she needed to bring up.

Lena pulled back a few inches, enough to stare into Kara’s teary blue eyes. “But?” she implored while her heart was rampant in her chest. She wasn’t ready for rejection nine years ago and she wasn’t ready for it now, although she would understand if Kara did reject her.

“This is bigger than the two of us,” Kara whispered. “If we do this, I want us to do this right because I don’t want our daughters to end up with parents who can’t see eye to eye. We’re not teenagers anymore. If we do this, I want this to be a serious relationship. I don’t want you to kiss me now and regret it tomorrow. Either we are both all in or we put a stop to this right now while we still can.”

Lena felt as if the weight which had pressed on her chest was no longer there. “I want this,” she replied, smiling so much she didn’t care if it hurt. “I want to be a family, more than anything,” she said from the bottom of her heart. “I’m all in. No hiding this time, no more secrets. I love you, Kara.”

Kara wept as she kissed Lena. Their kisses were desperate and needy, filled with the raw emotions which had threatened to spill for such a long time it became unbearable. She felt how soft and gentle Lena was trying to be with her, how she held back when she pulled her closer.

“Slow down, darling, please,” Lena whispered against Kara’s lips. “You’re still healing. Once you’re fully healed, I’ll kiss you so much you’ll grow tired of it, I promise.”

Kara didn’t think that was possible, but she had to agree taking it slow was a good call.

 

 

* * *

 

 

Lena must have fallen asleep at some point. She woke up the next morning, frowning when Elle and Lyn were no longer sleeping next to Kara. Searching, she stumbled upon a note that had her wake up Kara.

Kara rubbed her tired eyes. Her bones were aching, but she was getting stronger, she was healing.

“Elle and Lyn are gone,” Lena croaked out while she held out the note to Kara, a note their daughters left behind.

Kara was overwhelmed by dread as she read the note, reading it three times to ensure her eyes weren’t playing any tricks on her.

 

_Reign is all alone. There are two of us. We will capture her so she can never hurt anyone ever again. Don’t worry, mam. She can’t fight both of us at once and we make a good team. This is what we have been training for. We can do this, together. El mayarah, right, mom?_

_Oxo, Elle & Lyn_

 


	26. Chapter 26

Reign dropped down to her knees, twisting her fists in Elle and Lyn’s costumes, pulling them closer towards her. “Which birthday party did you two run away from?” she asked, laughing darkly at Elle’s yellow and black striped bumblebee dress with matching leggings, and Lyn’s blue cheerleader outfit. “You are both as weak as your mother. Two little bugs I can step on and crush.”

“We will not let you hurt anyone again,” Lyn said, wrapping both of her hands around Reign’s wrist. “My sister and I will protect this city from villains and anyone else who means to cause people harm.”

“You’re cute, for a nuisance,” Reign replied, lifting up the twins.

“I’ll show you cute,” Elle hissed, using her heat vision.

Reign blocked Elle’s heat vision with her own. “It’s a shame Supergirl won’t hear you scream.”

“If you hurt a single hair on my sister’s head I will kill you!” Lyn yelled, biting Reign’s hand.

Elle did the same, leading to Reign dropping both of them.

“You bit me,” Reign said, glaring. “Little peasants, you two are going to die, just like your mother.”

Lyn stepped in front of Elle. “If you want to kill my sister, you’ll have to get through me first.”

“Your bravery is as admirable as it is stupid,” Reign said coldly.

Lyn tore the antenna from the rooftop and swung it at Reign, who grabbed it.

Elle flew towards Reign, pushing her off the roof.

Reign flew back and grabbed the twins by their ankles and smacked them together, throwing them down. “Do you really think you can beat me? You two are nothing but minions,” she said while she closed in on them.

“You must be Gru then,” Lyn replied, scrambling up to her feet. “Gru for gruesome.”

Reign blew Lyn over. She raised her left foot and was about to stomp it down on top of Lyn when something wrapped around her leg.

“I knew you were small-minded, but what kind of villain fights kids? Wanna try someone your own size?”

“You,” Reign replied, eyes burning a brighter red as she glared at Livewire. “I will kill you.”

“You must think you’re really something, fighting two eight year olds,” Livewire scoffed.

Lyn used the momentum to make Reign lose her balance by pulling one of her legs from underneath her.

“Kid, give me a recharge,” Livewire said to Elle. “You and your sister need to leave.”

“We can’t leave,” Elle replied, frowning. She used her heat vision to help Livewire recharge. “If we leave, she’ll kill you.”

“If you two don’t leave, she’s going to kill both of you. She doesn’t care you’re just kids and you’re way too young to die. Get out of here.”

Reign was fast and wrapped her hand around Lyn’s throat. “All I have to do is squeeze and snap her little neck.”

“No!” Elle screamed.

“Put her down, now,” Livewire hissed at Reign. “Kill me first. You know you want to. Or have you forgotten how I made you stumble last time? You’re not that powerful,” she taunted, smirking while Reign’s eyes focused on her. “What? A worldkiller who can’t handle killing a metahuman? Pretty weak if you ask me.”

“Elle,” Lyn choked out, struggling against the hold Reign had on her. “If I die, tell mam and mom I love them.”

“Let my sister go!” Elle shouted, pounding her fists against Reign’s legs.

“Keep your hands off my children,” Kara said, punching her fist down, creating a hole in the roof.

“I killed you,” Reign replied, eyes roaming over Supergirl’s body. “I’ll just have to kill you again,” she said, using her heat vision.

Kara responded with her own heat vision, but she wasn’t strong enough to keep this up for long.

Reign’s eyes changed. “Ruby,” she whispered. She let go of Lyn and fell down.

Livewire threw a lasso made out of electricity around Reign, who was screaming and whimpering.

“Mind over matter,” Psi said, eyes narrowed at Reign as she stood behind her.

“Girls,” Kara said, pulling her daughters into her arms. “Thank Rao. Never ever, ever, ever, scare your mother and I like that ever again.”

“We weren’t scared, mom,” Lyn whispered. “You and mam shouldn’t be scared either, we were born to protect this city.”

“Reign keeps whispering Ruby’s name,” Elle said, frowning. “I know her voice.”

Kara turned around, listening to Reign’s whimpering and her whispers. “…Sam?” she asked, jaw dropping.

“Why am I here?” Reign asked, but she didn’t sound like Reign anymore. “What’s happening?”

Kara saw Samantha’s eyes growing wide and saw her staring at the lasso. “Don’t let her escape, I have an idea,” she said, making a gesture at Psi to do what she did all over again. “I’m sorry, Sam,” she whispered, wincing when Samantha cried out.

“Imra, I want you and Livewire to take the twins to Alex,” Kara ordered. “Psi, you’re staying with me to keep Reign under control.”

DEO agents approached to help.

“And, Livewire,” Kara said, catching Livewire’s wrist. She pulled Livewire into a hug. “Thank you.”

“Gross, you don’t have to get all sentimental on me. Stop it or I’ll fry you.”

“No you won’t.”

 

 

* * *

 

 

“Are our girls…?”

Kara cupped Lena’s cheeks and kissed her. She nodded, slowly breathing out as she rested her forehead against hers. “Livewire was there already when we got there,” she whispered, smiling at the thought of how Livewire did exactly what she asked of her; she protected the twins.

A wave of relief washed over Lena. She didn’t want to imagine the horror of something awful happening to their daughters. “Where are they?” she asked, peering around to check if they would come running.

“I asked Imra and Livewire to take them to Alex,” Kara answered, sighing as she cast her eyes down. “Poor Alex,” she whispered.

Lena frowned. “Kara?” she asked, placing her finger under Kara’s chin, lifting her head to look into her eyes.

“It’s Sam,” Kara answered, sighing audibly. “Sam is Reign.”

Lena’s eyes widened. She took a step back, eyeing Kara who didn’t look or sound like she was joking. “No,” she whispered, swallowing thickly as Kara nodded. “But Sam… she’s…,” she said, shaking her head in disbelief.

“I’m as surprised as you are,” Kara replied, thinking how she would have never known if it hadn’t been for Psi attacking Reign, leading to Reign whispering Ruby’s name. “I have an idea though, how we can help her. We can save Sam.”

“Supergirl,” Agent Lane said as she came running towards them. “We need your help. Psi is losing her hold on Reign.”

“Okay, we’re going to need black kryptonite,” Kara said, following Lucy. “Black kryptonite will separate Sam from Reign. It will free her. To Reign, Sam is just a vessel she wants to take control of.”

“That is a dangerous plan, Supergirl,” J’onn said. “Using black kryptonite will result in Samantha being the best part of herself she can be while Reign will be the worst, darkest part of her.”

“I heard Sam scream today. She’s trapped and she needs our help,” Kara replied. “Black kryptonite will free her. Once Reign no longer has a hold on Sam, we can use gold kryptonite to strip her powers and lock her up.”

“I agree with Supergirl,” Lena said. “We have to save Sam, she is innocent. She’s a mother with a daughter who needs her.”

“We can try,” J’onn said, giving the order to an agent to retrieve the kryptonite from the vault. “Reign needs to be destroyed, we cannot risk letting a worldkiller live.”

Kara wrung her hands together. She wasn’t a fan of killing someone, no matter how much someone might seem to deserve it. “If the black kryptonite doesn’t work, we can’t kill Reign because then we would kill Sam, too,” she said, deciding she wouldn’t allow that to happen.

Lena rested her hand at the small of Kara’s back. “Ruby needs her mother to come home,” she said, fully agreeing and supporting Kara.

 

 

* * *

 

 

Samantha sank into Alex’s embrace and cried.

“I got you,” Alex whispered, stroking her girlfriend’s hair. “Everything is going to be okay now.”

“I hurt you,” Samantha said, her voice coming out all cracked. She took a step back and sized Alex up. “Your ribs, your leg…”

Alex shook her head. “That wasn’t you,” she said, reaching for Samantha’s hand.

“Your sister, the twins,” Samantha whispered, sobbing.

Alex pulled her girlfriend into her arms all over again. The truth was painful to cope with, but she understood that everything Reign had done wasn’t Samantha’s fault. “You’re going to get through this – we will get through this, together,” she said, littering her girlfriend’s cheeks with kisses.

“Mom?” Ruby asked, stepping out of the bedroom where she had been playing with the twins.

“Ruby,” Samantha whispered, breaking her hug with Alex to hug Ruby.

“Mom, what’s wrong? Why are you crying?”

Samantha kissed the top of Ruby’s head. “I missed you, Rubes,” she whispered. “Both of you,” she said, looking at Alex.

Kara watched their interaction for a moment. She was relieved the black kryptonite worked, but it was a close call. The moment Samantha was separated from Reign, Reign tried to kill Samantha. When Psi tried to interrupt, they discovered Reign no longer had any fears that could cripple her. She distracted Reign while J’onn used golden kryptonite to strip her powers away.

They locked Reign up in a cell specifically built for her, with green and gold kryptonite to ensure there was no possibility of her regaining her powers somehow and breaking out. The nightmare was over now. Reign was no longer able to harm anyone. Surprisingly, the twins were what encouraged everyone to team up to handle Reign. El mayarah, the one part Elle and Lyn weren’t wrong about.

“We’re going home, girls,” Kara said to her daughters, holding her hands out.

Lyn scrunched up her nose and stared at Kara’s hand. “I’m too old to hold hands.”

Elle smiled and grabbed Kara’s hand without hesitating.

 

 

* * *

 

 

Lena kissed Kara and smiled when she felt her back press against the counter. She wound her arms around Kara’s waist, pulling her closer while she kissed her again.

Kara eagerly responded to the kiss, nipping at Lena’s lower lip.

The sound of the twins squealing interrupted them.

“This is the best day ever,” Elle said, smiling.

“Not so fast, girls,” Lena said, crossing her arms. “You are both grounded for a month. What you did was reckless and very dangerous.”

“Yes, mam,” Elle and Lyn replied, sighing deeply while they stared at the floor. “We’re sorry.”

“That includes no dessert,” Kara added.

“Okay,” Elle whispered, pouting. “Lyn and I will go to our room now with our puppies so you two can keep kissing.”

“I would say we could sleep over at Ruby’s, but it’s too bad we’re grounded,” Lyn said, raising her arms to her sides with her palms up before dropping them. “Good luck with getting privacy.”

“Your sassy attitude has earned you another month,” Lena said, shaking her head at Lyn’s antics.

“Rao, this is so unfair,” Lyn mumbled, walking away. “Where has my youth gone? By the time I’m no longer grounded I will be… two months older.”

“Don’t worry, Lyn,” Elle said, patting Lyn’s shoulder. “You’ll probably get grounded again before then.”

“Well… I did break the closet when we came here this morning to get our costumes.”

“And I left Bumble and Gryff in mom’s bedroom,” Elle said, making a face. “So they probably peed on the bed or on the carpet.”

Lena rubbed her temples while the twins left to go upstairs, wondering where she could unsubscribe to them becoming teenagers someday.

Kara let out a short laugh. The twins were a handful, but she couldn’t imagine her life without them in it and Lena was what made the picture complete. Together they would make it work.

 

 

* * *

 

 

**One year later…**

 

 

“Mom, have you been giving extra sugar to mam?” Elle asked, her nose crinkled and brows furrowed. “She’s getting fat.”

“You can’t say it like that, Elle,” Lyn said, gasping. She nudged Elle with her elbow. “We just got ungrounded a week ago, so shh.”

Lena chuckled as she wandered into the kitchen. “They are talking about me, aren’t they?” she asked, smiling at Kara.

Kara smiled back. “Good morning, my beautiful wife,” she said, placing her hands on Lena’s sides. “I think we should tell them because they think you’re getting fat,” she said, chuckling.

Elle piped up. “Tell us what?”

“Yes, what?” Lyn chimed in.

Lena lowered her hand to her stomach. “Listen, sweethearts,” she said, beckoning them closer with her other hand.

Elle and Lyn shuffled closer, pressing an ear up against Lena’s stomach.

“I’m pregnant,” Lena revealed. She hadn’t gone to the hospital yet, but five pregnancy tests confirmed it, with her wife being one of those tests.

Kara’s smile brightened while the twins gasped. This time she would be there for every step of the way. The sounds were faint, but she could hear them.

“Oh Rao!” Lyn whispered. Her eyes filled with awe. “Elle and I are going to have two brothers or sisters!”

“That’s ri – wait,” Lena said, frowning deeply. “Two?” she asked, glancing at her wife who averted her eyes all of the sudden. “ _Kara_.”

“Um, err, um…,” Kara said, fidgeting with her glasses. “Surprise, we’re expecting twins.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This fic turned out longer than I had originally planned. It's been quite the ride, but this was the final stop.

**Author's Note:**

> I like Supercorp with kids, especially twins. :)
> 
> (DO NOT POST ANY OF MY STORIES ANYWHERE EVER, I DO NOT GIVE PERMISSION FOR THIS!)


End file.
